18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DEBATE PRESENTED BY AFRO VIBES TV
- Michael Thervil
- Sep 18, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 18, 2025
Written by Michael Thervil
[18th Congressional District debate Afro Vibes TV] Last night the 18th Congressional District debate hosted by Afro Vibes TV featured the final official candidates on the ballot. With special elections for the 18th Congressional District coming up on November 4th there was no shortage of political candidates interested in this congressional seat. The debate started at 5:30pm and lasted roughly until 8pm. Last night's list of candidates included Texas State Representative Jolanda Jones (D), Amanda Edwards (D), Stephen Huey (D), Ollie Knox (R), Carmen Montiel (R), Vince Duncan (I), Isaiah Martin (D), Valencia Williams (D), and Christian Menefee (D).
This debate was a closed-door debate in which only the members of the political candidate campaign were able to attend. Although there were heated moments at times during the debate, the debate was mostly civil. During the few instances of tension between the candidates and how the candidates’ responses gave us an insight into not only the character but how the candidate would likely respond to tough times if they were elected to office.
Jolanda Jones was not only late for the debate, but she left the debate early but later returned. This pattern of behavior has repeated itself several times as Jolanda Jones has either been late or failed to show as agreed upon in several instances. This was due to the lack of communication within her staff and her inability to prioritize tasks within her campaign. The question that we have is, if Jolanda Jones has consistently shown signs of instability, how can she be trusted in efficiently and effectively carrying out the official duties in office? Another issue that was on full display with Jolanda Jones is that not only did she fail to both directly answer the questions directed at her, but she read the answers to the questions asked of her from her cell phone for the entirety of the debate. This shows a lack of having a firm grasp on the issues at hand and failure to be prepared to tackle the social issues of the day.
The trend of leaving early was also carried on by Amanda Edwards, who came on time but failed to prioritize the right allocation of time for the debate. Like her counterpart Jolanda Jones, the same question of how can she be trusted in efficiently and effectively carrying out the official duties in office? But the secondary question we have is that since Amanda Edwards has shown a pattern of being flighty and what we are calling “Political Avoidance Disorder”, will she show the same pattern of being flighty and avoidance when faced with political odds difficulties on the federal level when things don’t go as scripted?
When it came to Isaiah Martin, who looked distressed and annoyed at times throughout the debate, not only left early, but failed to provide any reputable solutions when it came to tackling any of the social issues presented during the debate. Instead, he reverted to insults and played the blame game throughout his time on the panel. One of the basic rules of any debate is that if one must resort to insults, then it means that one doesn’t have the knowledge, skills, and wherewithal to successfully articulate one's position. In short, what we are saying here is that Isaiah Martin acted like a child throwing a temper tantrum during the debate which means that not only does he not have the knowledge, skills, and level of maturation needed for the position of the 18th Congressional District, but he is impulsive and easy to trigger. This is probably the reason he was thrown in jail. Let's not confuse getting put in jail because one lacks self-control for fighting for the rights of voters.
Christian Menefee stood strong in his positions and was able to directly answer all the questions that were presented to him, however, he too left the debate early and thus disqualified himself from being considered a top contender for the seat of the 18th Congressional District. Although vibrant in his political approach it could be said that he would do better in a second run as a candidate for another political seat. Valencia William was another candidate that came late to the debate. Although her responses appeared to be "fiery" during the debate, they tended to have somewhat of a diminished focus which is needed to capture the hearts and minds of voters. Again, like Texas Representative Jolanda Jones, Amanda Edwards, Christian Menefee, and Isiah Martin all of which either showed up late or left early, it shows a lack of planning and discipline in the world of politics.
The strongest candidates of the night were Ollie Knox, Stephen Huey, Carmen Montiel, and Vince Duncan. Ollie Knox not only speaks like a Republican but demonstrated that he was directly in line with core Republican values such as hard work, showing favor towards the military, and taking a tough stance towards immigration. Although he tended to repeat himself a lot, it can be said that it was better that he did then to read off a script from his cell phone like Jolanda Jones. Stephen Huey, another solid candidate who was able to successfully answer all the questions presented to him and didn’t hesitate to tackle difficult social issues from the standpoint of a Democrat and didn’t engage in either post or ad mining attacks.
This shows that he was knowledgeable on the subject matter, calculated, and cool under pressure. These are attributes that are required in a political candidate no matter what side of the aisle they are on. In the case of Carmen Montiel, who was lively and full of political zeal, also presented herself as a strong candidate in the fact that she did not allow Isaiah Martin to make a mockery of nor misrepresent her positions as a Republican Candidate. This showed courage, strength, and the willingness to hold people to task, hold people responsible, and ensure that the lines drawn in the sand by her will not be crossed.
Lastly, there was Independent Candidate Vince Duncan. The time is exceptionally ripe for an Independent Candidate as the public has been showing signs of frustration and anger towards both dominant political parties. During the debate Vince Duncan demonstrated strength and directly answered all questions while providing simple solutions to seemingly complex social problems. He presented the same calm demeanor and attitude as his political counterpart Stephen Huey which was centered around being clear, concise, and deliberate in tone and delivery.
The full video of the debate will air on Monday,22nd 2025.
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