Isaiah Martin

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Isaiah Martin
Martin in 2024
Personal details
Born (1998-06-24) June 24, 1998 (age 26)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Houston (BA)
TikTok information
Page
Followers332 thousand
Likes10.8 million
Last updated: May 16, 2025

Isaiah Martin is an American political advisor and Democratic candidate in the 2025 United States House of Representatives elections for Texas's 18th congressional district.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Martin was born in Houston, Texas, and is from Clear Lake City.[3] He attended the University of Houston, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 2021.[4]

While in college, he founded a student advocacy group called #ForTheStudents, which focused on campus voter access, food insecurity, and sexual assault resources. In 2020, while president of the group,[5] he worked with local officials to convert the University of Houston's football stadium into a polling location.[2][6] This project led to him meeting Representative Sheila Jackson Lee and starting to volunteer with her office.[3]

Political activity and advocacy

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After graduating, Martin worked as a senior advisor to Representative Lee,[7][8] serving in both her Washington, D.C., and Houston offices.[2]

In the 2024 election cycle, Martin campaigned in support of Democratic candidates including Janelle Bynum.[2] He also expressed support for Vice President Kamala Harris.[2]

Martin uses TikTok to discuss political topics and reach younger audiences.[2]

2023 campaigns

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In January 2023, Martin ran for Houston City Council, advocating flood mitigation, housing affordability, increasing funding for Houston's crime lab, and growing a local land trust.[3] He chose to stop his campaign before the election,[9] saying that he wanted to "help other candidates get elected this cycle."[10]

Martin launched a campaign for Congress in September 2023,[11] anticipating that Jackson Lee would retire to run for mayor of Houston. He said he was inspired to run by crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Texas's 2021 winter freeze power crisis.[12] Martin supported reproductive rights, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act,[12] increasing cash bond, and continuing the US's alliance with Israel.[13] After the campaign launched and after commentators criticized Martin's comparative silence on climate change in contrast with his position on the Middle East, Martin's campaign deleted the portion of its website covering his policy positions.[11] When Jackson Lee chose to seek re-election, Martin withdrew.[14]

2025 campaign

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Martin announced a new campaign in 2025 following the deaths of Jackson Lee in July 2024 and her successor, Representative Sylvester Turner, in early 2025.[15] He seeks to oppose Donald Trump's policies,[16] and participated in the April "Hands Off" protests against Trump and Elon Musk.[17] Governor Greg Abbott scheduled the special election for November 4, 2025,[18] drawing criticism from Democrats for leaving the district without Congressional representation for several months.[19]

Lawsuit over 2023 campaign

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In March 2025, Grassroots Analytics filed a lawsuit against Martin's 2023 congressional campaign, alleging that two invoices, totaling approximately $225,000 for donor data services, remained unpaid and claiming that funds were used for other expenses after the campaign ended.[20][21] The campaign responded that Grassroots Analytics failed to meet its contractual obligations and said it had made multiple attempts to resolve the issue amicably before the lawsuit was filed.[22]

Personal life

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Martin works as an aerospace consultant.[23] Martin is Catholic and was formerly a Junior Knight of Peter Claver.[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Isaiah Martin, former Senior Advisor to Sheila Jackson Lee, launches congressional run for 18th district". KPRC. March 18, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Isaiah Martin Roasts MAGA Creators on TikTok. Now He's Running for Congress". The Barbed Wire. March 17, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Sessions, Kennedy (Feb 15, 2023). "Meet the Gen-Z organizer looking to change the face of Houston City Council". Chron. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  4. ^ "2 candidates announce they're running for District 18 Congressional seat to replace the late Sylvester Turner". KHOU. May 8, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  5. ^ Janfaza, Rachel (2020-10-24). "2020 may see a surge in young voters". CNN. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  6. ^ "Meet Isaiah Martin". Isaiah Martin for Congress. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  7. ^ Oprysko, Caitlin; Lippman, Daniel (2025-03-21). "Energy lobbyist eyes run for Turner's seat". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  8. ^ ""We Are In A Fight Of A Lifetime": Houston Native And Former City Council Member Runs To Represent Historic Texas District In Congress". Essence. 2025-04-24. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  9. ^ Janfaza, Rachel (2023-10-24). "Meet the Gen Z Candidates Running for Congress in 2024". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  10. ^ McGuinness, Dylan. "Jackson Lee intern launches bid for her congressional seat, trying to become 'next Gen-Z' congressman". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2024-09-25. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  11. ^ a b "Why Democratic Candidates Care So Much About Israel Policy". HuffPost. 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  12. ^ a b Stapleton, Jordyn (2023-12-05). "Meet Isaiah Martin, The Texas Gen Zer Running For Congress In 2024". Her Campus. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  13. ^ Thakker, Prem (2023-09-07). "Gen Z Candidate Launches Campaign That Ignores His Generation's Priorities". The Intercept. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  14. ^ "Isaiah Martin". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Two Black Catholics running to fill Texas' vacant US House seat". National Catholic Reporter. March 25, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  16. ^ Tinner-Williams, Nate (2025-04-14). "Texas governor calls special election for vacant U.S. House seat sought by Black Catholics". Black Catholic Messenger. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  17. ^ Cancelarich, James (April 8, 2025). "Protesters descend on City Hall in opposition to Trump and Musk". The Rice Thresher. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  18. ^ "Who's running to replace Sylvester Turner? New Hobby survey shows most don't know". Houston Chronicle. April 8, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  19. ^ Menezes, Andrew (2025-04-08). "Special election for Turner seat set for November, drawing Democratic outrage". Roll Call. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  20. ^ Balogun, Rilwan (2025-03-20). "Congressional candidate Isaiah Martin sued for breach of contract". KPRC. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  21. ^ "GRASSROOTS ANALYTICS, INC. v. ISAIAH MARTIN FOR CONGRESS, 1:25-cv-00822 - CourtListener.com". CourtListener. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  22. ^ Balogun, Rilwan (2025-03-20). "Congressional candidate Isaiah Martin sued for breach of contract". KPRC. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  23. ^ Mutnick, Ally (2025-03-17). "Senate Dems' shutdown politics". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-05-30.