Tarrant County Democrat wants to flip state Senate seat
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Democrat Taylor Rehmet is confident he can win a state Senate runoff election in a solidly GOP district, despite raising just a fraction in campaign funds as his President Trump-backed Republican opponent.
Why it matters: Democrats are celebrating this week after election night wins across the country.
- In California, voters approved a redrawn congressional map favoring Democrats. The redistricting push came after Texas approved new maps to flip seats for the GOP.
Driving the news: Democrats also pulled off a bit of an upset in the much smaller Tarrant County race. Rehmet, an aircraft mechanic and union leader making his first run for public office, faced two Republicans in the election to replace Kelly Hancock, a Republican who is now the acting state comptroller.
- The special election appeared poised to be a fight between conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss and former Southlake mayor John Huffman.
- But, Rehmet tallied more votes than either of his competitors and will face Wambsganss in a December runoff.
Stunning stat: Nearly $3 million was poured into the race for the three candidates, mostly to the two Republicans.
- Wambsganss spent nearly $1.4 million on her campaign since July. Huffman spent just under $1 million.
- Rehmet spent about $65,000, according to campaign finance reports.
What they're saying: Rehmet called his opponents "billionaire-backed, Trump-supporting Republicans" who "cared more about the few who bank-rolled their campaign than the people they're trying to represent."
- "When you talk to people instead of at them, you win," Rehmet said in a video on X. "When you organize block by block instead of begging billionaires for checks, you win."
The other side: Republicans believe MAGA-backed Wambsganss will handily beat Rehmet in the runoff. The combined GOP vote (62,303) outperformed Rehmet (56,506).
- Wambsganss "absolutely crushed her moderate Republican challenger," Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posted on X.
Flashback: Hancock won 60% of the vote when he was elected to the state Senate in November 2022.