Carmen Maria Montiel says she’ll use GOP majority to pass laws for Houston’s 18th District
Carmen Maria Montiel, a businesswoman and former journalist, is running as the leading Republican candidate for Houston’s 18th Congressional District, aiming to address long-standing issues in the community.
Sixteen candidates are vying to represent Houston’s 18th Congressional District, a seat left vacant after the passing of Congressman Sylvester Turner in March. Among them is Carmen Maria Montiel, a businesswoman, former journalist, and the leading Republican candidate in the race.
Montiel, who has lived in Houston since 1991, says she’s running because the city’s problems have persisted for decades despite its growth.
“Although the city has grown, the problems have never gotten better,” Montiel said. “They keep on getting worse. And especially in District 18, I see that the district was neglected for over 30 years.”
Born in Venezuela, Montiel has made Houston her home for more than three decades. A mother of three and an active member of several charitable organizations, she says she’s motivated by concern for the next generation.
“I’m not a politician. I’m just a concerned citizen, a mother of three that is worried about the future of our children, our grandchildren. And that’s what I said as a businesswoman, let me get there and do something.”
Top issues: Infrastructure, housing, and poverty
Montiel says the American dream is slipping further out of reach for many families. If elected, Montiel says her top priorities will be infrastructure, affordable housing, and poverty.
“The majority of the poor people live in the 18th district,” Montiel said. “And that’s something that we need to target, [like] the cancer cluster. Everybody knows about the cancer closer in the Fifth Ward. And they talk about it, and they use it as a political talking point, but they do nothing about it.”
Montiel says the district has been neglected for more than 30 years under Democratic leadership. As Republicans currently control Congress, the Senate, and the White House, she believes she would be in a unique position to deliver results quickly.
Montiel says her goal is to work directly with congressional leadership to bring federal resources back to Houston.
“I’m in an incredible opportunity because being in the majority in Congress, I’m the one that can introduce laws to benefit the district and have them pass, because I’m in the majority in Congress,” Montiel said. “I’m in a beautiful position…that many of my predecessors have not been and in a position that my opponents are not right now.”
