Christian Menefee Chides Ken Paxton for Harris County Election Lawsuit

Representative Christian Menefee (D-TX) said that a recent lawsuit from Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) is a last-ditch effort to prevent his constituents from making it to the polls this week.

Paxton, who is also the Republican Senate nominee in a toss-up race, filed a lawsuit against Harris County last week alleging it violated the Texas Constitution. He claims that, by using social media advertisements to encourage voting among Latino, Asian and African American voters, the county is unlawfully targeting specific racial and ethnic groups while excluding others.

The lawsuit was filed one day before early voting ended.

“Ken Paxton filed this lawsuit in the final days of voting because he wants to stop Houstonians from going to the polls,” Rep. Menefee said. “He’s whining about ads that do nothing more than tell neighbors when to vote and where to get information about voting.”

Rep. Menefee said he thinks Paxton, who remains in a neck-and-neck race days before the midterm election, is upset that “diverse voters across Harris County are making their voices heard.”

“He doesn’t like that in this election, people are showing up in big numbers in neighborhoods like Third Ward, Acres Homes, Cypress, Tidwell and Sunnyside,” Rep. Menefee said.

This comes as Rep. Menefee has continued to fight against potential efforts from President Donald Trump’s administration to interfere with the election. He has continued to encourage his constituents to make their voices heard by voting.

“Remember this: someone with as much power as the Texas Attorney General would only take desperate action like this lawsuit because he is scared,” Rep. Menefee said. “I hope everyone in Harris County who is eligible to vote sees this lawsuit for what it is, and goes to cast their ballot in this election.”