In the waning days of May’s runoff election, longtime U.S. Rep. Al Green warned Harris County voters about the dangers of the cryptocurrency industry. The 21st-Century currencies threaten the dollar’s global dominance, he said.
His opponent and fellow Democrat, U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, argued that blockchain technology can increase trust and transparency among the general public.
Menefee’s support of cryptocurrency came with a windfall. Pro-crypto political organizations spent millions to help Menefee, 38, defeat Green, 78, in last month’s Democratic primary runoff. Ads paid for by the industry portrayed the younger Menefee as the right leader for the next generation.
It worked.
Menefee ultimately defeated Green to represent the newly drawn 18th Congressional District that encompasses parts of both of their current Houston-area districts. The outcome effectively ends the tenure of one of the state’s longest-serving congressmen. And the results are one more sign, Houston-area political observers said, that voters seek generational change.
Menefee’s win came at the same time as Letitia Plummer, who beat seasoned politician and former Houston mayor, Annise Parker, to become the Democratic nominee for Harris County judge, the highest-ranking official in county government.
“I think a lot of the people we are seeing emerge in the Democratic Party are millennials and Gen-Z, and we are seeing our generation step into those roles,” Menefee told The Texas Tribune. “I think it’s exciting how the new generation is stepping up across the party.”
Menefee’s meteoric rise in Houston began in 2020. He served as Harris County’s attorney between 2021 and 2026. He was the youngest person ever to hold the position and the first Black man to do so. In January, Menefee won a special election to finish the term of Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in March 2025.
Menfee and Green were forced into a faceoff after Texas Republicans redrew the state’s congressional boundaries in a mid-decade redistricting effort last year to improve the odds Republicans could win more seats.
Green did not respond to a request for comment. He released a statement after the election that said he will continue to fight President Donald Trump’s administration, calling himself an “unelected, liberated Democrat.” Menefee will face the Republican nominee, Ronald Dwayne Whitfield. Menefee is expected to return to Washington easily; the new-look district is overwhelmingly Democratic — an estimated 77% of voters supported Kamala Harris in 2024.
Other than their positions on cryptocurrency, there were few policy differences between the two congressmen.
“This was an interesting race as the voters liked both of them and would have preferred to send both of them back to Washington, but clearly made a choice toward someone who is younger,” said Mark Jones, professor of political science at Rice University. “I think voters were looking for someone with a newer attitude towards politics.”
The two congressmen were united on many things, including voting rights and fighting back against Trump, but they diverged on cryptocurrency.
Green emerged as a skeptic of digital money, while Menefee embraced the industry.
Menefee benefited from more than $5 million in outside spending by Protect Progress, a super PAC aligned with the cryptocurrency industry. The amount of money the super PAC spent on Menefee’s behalf made the 18th Congressional District home to the most expensive House runoff in Texas.
The ads never mentioned cryptocurrency. Instead, the paid media focused on the age difference between the two men.
“The ads the crypto industry was putting out, Green wasn’t able to match,” Jones said. “The financial support Menefee received really tilted the balance in his favor.”
Menefee wrote on his campaign site that blockchain technology, the decentralized system used to record and verify crypto transactions, offers the potential to “increase trust, transparency and efficiency” with rules to protect consumers.
“We need clear rules of the road that protect consumers, support innovation, and ensure these tools are used ethically – to strengthen our economy, not exploit it, and to protect workers, not replace them,” Menefee said on his campaign site.
Green, on the other hand, had voted against crypto-friendly bills, including the GENIUS Act, the first federal framework for regulating the crypto industry, which passed in July 2025, and said the industry sought to “control” Congress with its campaign spending.
Industry group Stand with Crypto gave Menefee an “A” rating and Green an “F” due to their stances on the industry.
Menefee has said he supports regulating the crypto industry rather than fighting it, and that the differing perspectives between him and Green stem from a generational divide.
“This technology isn’t going anywhere,” Menefee said. “I just don’t think this is the main concern at every person’s doorstep.”
Renée Cross, senior executive director of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, said the debate over cryptocurrency and other issues, such as campaign financing, wasn’t enough to motivate older Democrats to turn out to vote against Menefee, and younger voters are looking for change.
“I think we are going to see more of a push for younger candidates across the Democratic party, not just in Texas,” she said. “Our polls showed favorable views on both candidates; the difference is generational.”
Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to spend heavily to flip Harris County, and Menefee said that while the Democratic Party is undergoing a generational change, it is united against the Republican Party.
“Competitive primaries are a good thing, now we are battle-tested, but in November we will be united against the opposition,” said Menefee.
Disclosure: Rice University and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
