Texas' Black Catholic-heavy special election for Congress is largely mum on Israel

Amid a marked shift in American sentiment against Israel, candidates in a key congressional race in Texas are largely mum on what experts are increasingly terming a genocide in Gaza.

The November special election for the state’s long-vacant 18th congressional district seat in the House of Representatives is also unique in that nearly all of its leading candidates are Black Catholics.

Former Houston city councilwoman Amanda Edwards—who ran unsuccessfully last year to succeed the late Sheila Jackson Lee—is leading in some polls against Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, while State Rep. Jolanda Jones has also garnered a significant share. 

Carmen María Montiel, a Venezuelan-born Republican, is also expected to contend on election day, and former Jackson Lee staffer Isaiah Martin has also declared in the race, which is conducted as a nonpartisan primary.

Edwards, Jones, and Martin are Black Catholics and Democrats, a common combination in the Houston core they are running to represent. Each has also emphasized faith in their campaigns, which have thus far spanned a number of tumultuous events in Texas politics.

Chief among them was a Democrat-forced break in the state legislative session over gerrymandered maps introduced this summer, which would reduce the voting power of Texas Democrats and minorities. Jones was among the statehouse members who flocked to Democrat-led states and D.C. as an act of resistance, with many of them appearing in churches to communicate their displeasure with the GOP.

This month, Jones appeared in Houston-area churches to worship with constituents and promote her campaign.

“I refused to return during the quorum break because I would not help pass racist maps,” she wrote on social media on Sunday. “That fight continues, and so does our faith.”

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A post shared by Jolanda Jones (@jolandajones)

Jones’ campaign is also the only one that responded to Black Catholic Messenger’s query on financial contributions from the Israel lobby—which has been active in supporting candidates in pivotal races across the country.

“To our knowledge, we have not received campaign contributions from the Israel lobby,” said Grant Martin, who is assisting with Jones’ campaign.

27-year-old Isaiah Martin—no relation—is a longtime supporter of Israel, largely following in the footsteps of his mentor Jackson Lee, who received tens of thousands of dollars from the Israel lobby during her career. 

Shying away from foreign policy, his campaign has largely focused on economic uplift, President Donald Trump and the larger Republican project in Washington, as well as the failure of Democrats to provide an effective response.

“This is a spine. A lot of politicians can’t find theirs right now when we need it most,” Martin said in a campaign ad released on Oct. 6.

“As Congresswoman Jackson Lee’s senior advisor, she taught me how to fight. So yeah, I do have a spine, and I’ll use it to stand up to Trump.”

Edwards, who primaried Jackson Lee in 2024 and later lost a narrow special election to former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner after her death, is running once again for a seat that has been vacant since Turner’s own death in March.

Like her opponents in the special election race, Edwards has devoted significant energy to the issue of redistricting—the latest iteration of which was pushed through by Texas Republicans in a special session despite Democrats’ temporary delay tactics. The new maps will likely dilute the voting power of Democrats in Houston, including in the 18th district.

Edwards is one of two leading candidates in the race—with Menefee—who has not spoken on the Gaza War in recent months. At the onset of the conflict, she noted that she was “deeply disturbed” by the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in 2023 and indicated she had previously made at least one visit to the Holy Land.

“During my time in Israel, I witnessed its strength,” she wrote on social media. “My condolences go to the victims & their families. I stand in solidarity with the Israeli people against terroristic violence.”

In the final weeks of the special election campaign, it remains to be seen how the slate of Black Democrats will differentiate themselves, with internal polls from Edwards, Menefee, and Jones each showing themselves in or tied for the lead. 

As of early September, a quarter or more of likely voters in the 18th district remained undecided about their preferred candidate.

Early in-person voting in the race will begin on Monday, Oct. 20, with mail-in ballots due the following Friday. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote after Election Day voting on Tuesday, Nov. 4, a runoff will be held at a later date.

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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