Democrat flips Texas Senate seat in Tarrant County
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Republican Leigh Wambsganss, left, and Democrat Taylor Rehmet who are running for the District 9 Texas state Senate seat. Photos: Courtesy of the campaigns
Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a Texas Senate district in Tarrant County on Saturday, easily beating a President Trump-back Republican.
Why it matters: The district, which covers most of Fort Worth and its conservative northern suburbs, has been reliably red for decades.
- Rehmet tallied more than 57% of the vote in the special election runoff for the vacant seat. He was outspent 10 to 1 this month by his MAGA-backed opponent.
State of play: The race drew national interest after Rehmet, a first-time candidate, tallied nearly half of the votes in a three-way race in November.
- He faced conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss, an executive at Patriot Mobile, in Saturday's runoff.
Driving the news: Rehmet, an aircraft mechanic and union leader, carried his early voting lead through election day despite a late push by Trump to rally Republican voters in Tarrant County.
- "My very good friend, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, needs a strong conservative Republican in SD-9 to KEEP TEXAS RED!" Trump posted of his support for Wambsganss on Truth Social.
The intrigue: Trump won the district by 17 percentage points in 2024.
Reality check: Turnout was lower during the runoff, with the region covered in ice for several days of early voting.
- About 95,000 ballots were cast this election, compared to the nearly 119,000 votes cast in November.
Follow the money: Campaign finance reports showed Rehmet spent a little over $70,000 between Jan. 1-21.
- Wambsganss spent more than $736,278 during that period.
Catch up quick: Rehmet made it to the runoff after spending about $65,000 on the November election, compared to the nearly $2.4 million spent by the two Republicans in the race.
- The Democrat described his opponents as "billionaire-backed, Trump-supporting Republicans"
Flashback: Former state Sen. Kelly Hancock won 60% of the district's vote in November 2022.
- He left the seat vacant when he resigned to serve as the acting state comptroller.
The big picture: The Senate, led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, is still solidly Republican. There are now 18 Republicans, 12 Democrats and one vacancy.
What's next: Wambsganss and Rehmet, who are running unopposed in the March primaries, will face each other again in November for a full, four-year term.
- The November winner will assume the position before the next regular legislative session in 2027.