Democrat Taylor Rehmet Flips Historically Republican Texas Senate District 9 in Special Election
Democrat Taylor Rehmet has won the special election runoff for Texas State Senate District 9, flipping a seat previously held by Republicans. The district, encompassing parts of Fort Worth and its surrounding suburbs in Tarrant County, has historically voted Republican. Rehmet, a labor union leader and Air Force veteran, defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss in the runoff election held on January 31.
Election Outcome
On January 31, Taylor Rehmet secured 57.21% of the vote, receiving 54,228 ballots. Leigh Wambsganss obtained approximately 42.79% of the vote, totaling 40,570 ballots. This result gave Rehmet a lead of over 14 percentage points.
District Background
Texas State Senate District 9 became vacant in June following the resignation of four-term Republican incumbent Kelly Hancock, who departed to serve as the acting Texas comptroller. The district has been a Republican stronghold for decades.
In 2024, Donald Trump won the district by a 17-point margin, and a Republican candidate secured the state Senate seat by a 20-point margin in the 2022 general election. Tarrant County, which is home to the district, was won by Trump by 5 points in 2024, though President Joe Biden carried the county in 2020 by approximately 1,800 votes.
Rehmet is the first Democrat to represent Texas' 9th Senate District since 1978, with the last Democratic incumbent, Bill Meier, switching to the Republican party in 1981.
Election Process and Results
The special election process began on November 4, where Taylor Rehmet received 47.57% of the vote, Leigh Wambsganss secured 35.94%, and another Republican candidate garnered 16.49%.
As no candidate reached the 50% threshold, a runoff election was held on January 31 between Rehmet and Wambsganss. In the runoff, Rehmet increased his vote share by nearly 10 points.
Candidate Profiles and Campaign Support
Taylor Rehmet is a union president, Air Force veteran, and a machinist. His campaign focused on issues such as lowering costs, supporting public education, and protecting jobs. He received support from national organizations, including the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and VoteVets, which reportedly spent $500,000 on advertisements.
Leigh Wambsganss is a conservative activist and an executive at Patriot Mobile. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Wambsganss on Truth Social, describing her as a successful entrepreneur and a supporter of his Make America Great Again movement. State and county GOP leaders, including Governor Greg Abbott, also encouraged Republican voter turnout for Wambsganss. Commentary from one source suggested that Wambsganss's history of activism, including advocating for conservative candidates on independent school district boards, may have alienated some voters.
Voter Turnout
Voter turnout in the runoff election was noted as low, with fewer than 100,000 ballots cast. This represented approximately one-third of the turnout seen in the 2022 general election for the same seat.
Despite cold weather conditions, over 45,600 early ballots were cast. Long lines, with wait times of approximately 45 minutes, were reported at several polling locations on election day in areas such as Keller, Southlake, and North Richland Hills.
Reactions and Interpretations
Democratic strategists, such as Matt McDermott, described the victory as a "political earthquake" given the district's history.
Ken Martin, chairperson of the Democratic National Committee, stated the outcome serves as "a warning sign to Republicans across the country."
Sean Spicer, a former press secretary for President Trump, quoted an unnamed official describing the outcome as "8.5 on the Richter scale."
Following the loss, former President Trump distanced himself from the result:
"I’m not involved in that; that’s a local Texas race."
Leigh Wambsganss and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) characterized the outcome as a "wake-up call" for Republicans. Wambsganss attributed the loss to energized Democrats and low Republican turnout:
"The Democrats were energized. Too many Republicans stayed home."
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn also attributed the outcome to low Republican voter turnout.
Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder stated the win demonstrates what is achievable with "strong organizing, great candidates and strategic investments." Taylor Rehmet attributed his win to "everyday working people."
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis cautioned against using special election results as a definitive barometer for midterms, noting that "special elections are quirky."
Impact and Future Outlook
Rehmet's victory is part of a series of Democratic successes in state legislative special elections since March of the current political cycle, including wins in Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Kentucky, Iowa, Georgia, Maine, and California. Democrats view this win as contributing to their momentum leading into the November midterm elections.
The winner of the runoff will serve the remainder of Senator Hancock's term, which concludes at the end of December. The Texas Legislature is not scheduled to reconvene until 2027. Both Taylor Rehmet and Leigh Wambsganss are anticipated to compete again in the November general election for a full four-year term, commencing in January 2027. The Republican Party is projected to maintain a comfortable majority in the Texas Legislature.