{"id":2607709,"date":"2026-05-28T07:22:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T11:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/al-green-was-a-fighter-for-democrats-he-lost-his-primary-anyway\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T07:23:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T11:23:18","slug":"al-green-was-a-fighter-for-democrats-he-lost-his-primary-anyway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/al-green-was-a-fighter-for-democrats-he-lost-his-primary-anyway\/","title":{"rendered":"Al Green was a fighter for Democrats. He lost his primary anyway"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fal-green-was-a-fighter-for-democrats-he-lost-his-primary-anyway%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2607709&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was censured in march 2025 for heckling President Donald Trump during a joint address. Despite his reputation as a confrontational \u201cfighter,\u201d green, 78, lost a Democratic runoff to Rep. Christian Menefee, 38, in Texas\u2019s 18th Congressional District.<\/p>\n<p>The defeat was driven by broader Democratic pressures: polling cited in the article suggests many Democratic voters are dissatisfied with how much Democrats are \u201cfighting back\u201d against trump, while the Menefee campaign benefited from a push for generational change. Texas Democrats and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >pollsters quoted argue voters wont younger leadership<\/a>, especially after the recent deaths of longtime Houston-area Democrats, including Sheila Jackson Lee and Sylvester Turner. Outside spending and Menefee\u2019s support from groups connected to the crypto industry also added headwinds for Green.<\/p>\n<p>Strategists portrayed the race not as \u201cfighter vs. non-fighter,\u201d but as competing models of fighting-Green as a long-standing anti-Trump disruptor, and Menefee as a younger, Houston-focused legislative fighter. Menefee, in turn, praised Green\u2019s legacy of speaking to power, while Trump celebrated Green\u2019s loss. Green responded by saying he would continue challenging Trump in Congress.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was censured in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-resolution\/189\/text\">March 2025<\/a> for heckling President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> during a joint address of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">Congress<\/a>, in a moment that cemented the longtime congressman as a fighter for Democrats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But despite his brawler reputation, Green lost an incumbent vs. incumbent primary runoff against Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX) Tuesday night. His loss comes as polling shows 58% of potential Democratic supporters are dissatisfied with how much Democrats are \u201cfighting back\u201d against Trump, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2026\/05\/21\/polls\/times-siena-poll-democrats-crosstabs.html\">according to<\/a> a recent <em>New York Times<\/em>\/Siena poll. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4584511\/texas-temptation-democrats-ken-paxton-senate-race\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Texas temptation: Paxton\u2019s win revives Democrats\u2019 biggest Senate gamble<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4584367\/big-2026-races-trump-could-wade-into-next\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>What big 2026 races could Trump wade into next?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4584684\/thune-backs-ken-paxton-texas-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Thune backs Ken Paxton after divisive Texas primary<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Green, 78, and Menefee, 38, were set on a collision course for Texas\u2019s 18th Congressional District as a result of mid-decade redistricting pursued by Texas Republicans as the GOP looks to maintain control of the House in November. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That, combined with the Democratic Party\u2019s push for generational change, as well as outside spending that saw Menefee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2026\/05\/22\/texas-18th-congressional-district-democratic-primary-corporate-super-pacs-crypto-christian-menefee-al-green\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2026\/05\/22\/texas-18th-congressional-district-democratic-primary-corporate-super-pacs-crypto-christian-menefee-al-green\/\">receive millions from the crypto industry<\/a>, created headwinds that Green could not overcome as he sought his 12th term in Congress. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe represents an anti-Trump wing,\u201d Democratic strategist Hyma Moore told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThe Democrats, and I think, quite frankly, America, is so ready to move past Donald Trump, and they\u2019re looking for people, particularly Democrats, who can think about a vision beyond Donald Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moore said Menefee, a first-term lawmaker who was elected to the 18th District in a special election to replace the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, \u201cquite frankly, represented generational change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Texas\u2019s 18th District has witnessed the deaths of two of its elected officials, both Democrats, in the last two years. Turner, who died on March 5, 2025, was elected to the seat after the death of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee on July 19, 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of anxiety and hangover emotionally from Sheila Jackson Lee and Sylvester Turner,\u201d Moore explained. \u201cIt may seem sorta asinine, but we can\u2019t discount the fact that the people of Houston have just lost like two members of Congress in a very quick time, and so they\u2019re thinking about their future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Texas-based Democratic pollster Nancy Zdunkewicz described the push for generational change as \u201cvery real,\u201d saying that \u201cyou just can\u2019t talk to voters now and not hear them say, \u2018These guys got to step down, they got to move aside.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s really meant something, like they\u2019ve kept people from being seated, have delayed the elections to fill the seat, and so this is like a real sort of loss of power, and the threat of people leaving because of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fmr-white-house-doctor-rep-ronny-jackson-calls-on-dems-to-stick-with-trump-era-demands-for-potus-to-take-cognitive-test\/\" title=\"Fmr. White House doctor, .... Ronny Jackson, calls on Dems to stick with ...-era demands for POTUS to take cognitive test\">age-related issues<\/a> is very real,\u201d Zdunkewicz said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats have been strategizing on how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-seeks-redemption-after-ill-fated-white-house-campaign\/\" title=\"DeSantis aims for redemption post-failed White House bid\">win back voters<\/a> following the party\u2019s sweeping 2024 election losses and amid low approval ratings from voters. But Moore, the Democratic strategist, rejected that the race was a reflection of a \u201cfighter versus non-fighter,\u201d instead asserting that Green and Menefee have different approaches to the Trump administration. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think people saw the opportunity to bring someone like Christian Menefee in, who\u2019s 38, and who has been just a big fighter for Houston locally and statewide, and so they still get a fighter, but they get someone who is fresh, new, and young,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic strategist Cliff Walker, who supported Menefee\u2019s campaign, similarly argued that the candidates presented different models of \u201cwhat a fighter looks like,\u201d and that Menefee\u2019s approach \u201cwas just one for the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a Wednesday statement, Menefee thanked Green for his time in Congress, saying his opponent had \u201cdone what so few in public life are willing to do: He has spoken truth to power, directly to their faces, without flinching.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Menefee continued, \u201cHe protested with his body, his voice, and his career on the line. He stood in the well of the U.S. House of Representatives and called President Trump out to his face, even when he stood alone. That is a legacy that will outlast any election.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Al Green (D-TX) disrupts President Donald Trump\u2019s address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Green was ejected from the House chamber in 2025 after he interrupted Trump\u2019s speech by waving his cane and shouting that the president had \u201cno mandate.\u201d He was removed from the chamber again in 2026 from Trump\u2019s State of the Union speech after he displayed a sign that said \u201cBLACK PEOPLE AREN\u2019T APES!\u201d in reference to a video Trump shared online of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4582486\/green-menefee-texas-democratic-runoff-results\/\"><strong>CHRISTIAN MENEFEE BEATS LONGTIME DEMOCRAT AL GREEN IN RUNOFF<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump celebrated Green\u2019s loss in a Truth Social <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116647052759264072\">post<\/a> on Wednesday morning, saying he would \u201cmiss that lunatic not screaming and violently waving his cane at me during my next State of the Union Speech.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, Green wrote in a statement, \u201cSorry to disappoint you, Mr. President, but you will hear from me again. I have more than enough time left in Congress to continue calling out your corruption. Sincerely, your unbought, unbossed, unafraid, unelected, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/al-green-suggests-military-coup-coming-under-trump\/\" title=\"... suggests military coup coming under ...\">liberated democrat<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Al Green censured in 2025 but loses Democratic runoff to Christian Menefee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2912,"featured_media":2607710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP25117834606325-e1779940170708.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[51540,32923,9973],"class_list":["post-2607709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-al-green","tag-democratic-party","tag-primaries"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP25117834606325-e1779940170708.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2912"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2607709"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2607713,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607709\/revisions\/2607713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2607710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2607709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2607709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2607709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}