Democrat Lizzie Pannill Fletcher has unseated Republican incumbent Rep. John Culberson in the Houston-area race for Texas Congressional District 7.
Fletcher leads 52 percent to Culberson's 48 percent, according to results posted by Harris County, which includes Houston.
#Democrat @Lizzie4Congress unseats #Republican incumbent @johnculberson to represent Texas' 7th Congressional District #Miderms2018 #TXDecides @HoustonPubMedia pic.twitter.com/N1EuJ73wRs
— Elizabeth Trovall (@elizTrovall) November 7, 2018
Fletcher is an attorney and political newcomer who rode a wave of anti-Trump resentment to defeat Culberson. National Democrats poured money into the race, hoping to flip the seat as part of an effort to claim a majority in the U.S. House.
Sheila Murray, a retired economist who volunteered with Fletcher’s campaign, told News 88.7 that the candidates priorities are “positive.” “We are gonna move in a direction where we’re more responsible for what our actions do, both in the environment, both in the economy and in our future generations,” Murray added.
Culberson was first elected to Congress in 2000 and is a member of the budget-writing Appropriations Committee. The district has been solidly Republican for the past 50 years, but in 2016, Hillary Clinton narrowly outperformed President Donald Trump there.