Christian Menefee and Al Green turned their Texas runoff into a referendum on big money in politics, with each man attacking the other’s fundraising base while campaigning in the 18th Congressional District. Green criticized more than $4 million that a cryptocurrency super PAC spent on behalf of Menefee. Menefee countered that Green has leaned on corporate PAC money and other institutional donors.
The race has become the most expensive House runoff in Texas, a sign of how much outside money and high-dollar giving have shaped the contest. Menefee, who won his current seat in a special election that stretched into a late January runoff, reported raising over $2 million through that fight and has since added more than $850,000. Green has hauled in $1.4 million since the start of the cycle in January 2025, after his District 9 seat was redrawn to favor Republicans and he entered the 18th District race.
Menefee framed his campaign as proof that a candidate can raise serious money without taking checks from corporate PACs. “We’ve built incredible momentum without taking any corporate PAC dollars,” he said in an interview. He added, “At the same time, I believe Citizens United was a mistake and should be overturned, and not a single super PAC should exist.” That message put him at odds with the very spending that helped lift his profile earlier in the year. The crypto super PAC Protect Progress dropped $1.5 million on ads boosting Menefee ahead of the March primary election.
Both candidates also have their own donor networks. Menefee’s list includes Houston billionaire philanthropist John Arnold and trial lawyer and megadonor Amber Mostyn. Green’s big-name supporters include former Houston Metro chair Carrin Patman, HillCo lobbying firm cofounder Bill Miller and healthcare executive Tahir Javed. He has also been boosted by donations from PACs tied to United Airlines, beer wholesalers, credit unions and realtor groups, along with various unions.
That makes the runoff less a debate over who can raise money and more a test of which kind of money voters are willing to trust. Menefee is trying to win as a critic of the system even while benefiting from it, while Green is arguing that outside spending on his opponent should not be shrugged off. The winner will emerge from a district where the arguments over campaign cash have been as central as the candidates themselves.
