Historic victory
He’s the youngest and first African American elected county attorney
Christian Menefee, the youngest and first African American elected Harris County attorney Tuesday evening, took little time to celebrate his historic victory.
By 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, he was meeting with the office’s first assistant, beginning the transition process so he can hit the ground running in January. During his campaign, the 32-year- old litigator had pitched himself as a progressive advocate eager to work on issues, including bail reform.
“I ran for this office because I saw that it has a real opportunity to impact life for everyday people,” Menefee said Wednesday. “In every issue, the way I will approach it is, ‘How does this affect the collective good of the people of Harris County?’”
With the full, unofficial results tallied, Menefee bested Republican John Nation by more than 141,000 votes. He defeated three-term incumbent Vince Ryan in the March primary.
Menefee, who has never held public office, told the Houston Chronicle editorial board he wants to aggressively pursue polluters and also be a strong advocate of local control. Harris and other large urban counties in the state, which are run by Democrats, have clashed repeatedly in recent years with Republican state leaders on issues such as the COVID-19 response, eviction pol
icies and election procedures.
The County Attorney’s Office essentially serves as the in-house law firm for Harris County, representing the interests of residents and public officials in lawsuits. Menefee said he wants to immediately fill 15 vacancies among the 120 staff attorney corps and look to create additional positions in the future.
He said he also wants to help attorneys develop expertise in certain areas, such as election law, so the county can rely less on outside lawyers when those issues arise.
“I want to get the office constituted in a way that best utilizes our resources and puts us in the position to aggressively fight for the things I want to fight for,” Menefee said.
The Texas Organizing Project, a progressive advocacy group that backed the first-time candidate, was thrilled about his victory. Devin Branch, a lead criminal justice organizer, said the group had grown disillusioned with current County Attorney Vince Ryan over the county’s misdemeanor bail settlement last summer.
The county attorney, Branch said, was more of a hindrance than a help in implementing the changes, which replaced the county’s cash bail system for low-level criminal defendants with one that allowed about 85 percent of accused offenders to be released on bond.
Criminal justice reform groups, as well as some members of Commissioners Court, want to next reform the felony bail system. Branch said Menefee is a crucial ally in that fight.
“One of Christian’s top priorities is bail reform,” Branch said. “Defending the existing settlement and moving forward on felony bail reform, and being supportive of both of those efforts.”
Branch said TOP also is eager to work with Menefee on implementing law enforcement accountability measures. Commissioners Court is considering several ideas for additional oversight in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police in May.
Menefee began his legal career at Norton Rose Fulbright and previously served as an intern in the Harris County Public Defender’s Office. He also served on the Houston Independent Police Advisory Board.
Menefee’s victory continues a shift in Harris County toward younger leaders. County Judge Lina Hidalgo is 29. County Clerk Christopher Hollins is 34, though his interim appointment will end this month.
For the third consecutive cycle, Democrats won every countywide race in Harris County, including sheriff, district attorney, tax assessor- collector and county clerk.
“I ran for this office because I saw that it has a real opportunity to impact life for everyday people.”
Christian Menefee