Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, announced Friday that he will not attend President Trump's planned rally in Houston Monday night.

Culberson, a longtime GOP congressman facing a tough Democratic challenge in just over two weeks, said that he will skip the rally, which is expected to boost Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and down-ballot Republicans. Instead, he will attend a neighborhood event on flood control, according to a campaign spokeswoman.

"Congressman Culberson is attending a previously scheduled neighborhood meeting that represents around 30 neighborhoods in west Houston, and he will be talking about his work to strengthen the area's flood-control network," said Catherine Kelly, Culberson's spokeswoman, in an email.

"This meeting has been on the schedule for about a month, too," Kelly added.

Culberson will face Lizzie Pannill Fletcher in two weeks in a race that has been a top target for Democrats and has attracted big money to the district. Fletcher pulled nearly $2.3 million in the third fundraising quarter, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has spent $1.6 million against the incumbent Republican.

The House GOP campaign arm and the Congressional Leadership Fund has also poured in $4.5 million combined to defend Culberson, who has pushed his work on Hurricane Harvey relief and work as an appropriator in his re-election bid.

According to a New York Times poll taken last month, Culberson held a slight 3-point advantage over Fletcher.

Trump's campaign announced Thursday that they were moving the rally from the 8,000-seat NRG Arena by the Astrodome to the Toyota Center, which seats 19,000 and is home to the NBA's Houston Rockets.