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Democrat Wins Deep Red Texas Senate Seat in a Landslide

February 3, 2026
James Savin

Democrat Taylor Rehmet was elected the Senator of Texas district 9 in a shocking special election victory. The district voted for Republican President Donald Trump by a majority of 17 points in the last election cycle. This past week, Rehmet was voted in over the Trump–backed Republican candidate by a margin of 14 points.

The seat was open after four–term Republican incumbent Kelly Hancock resigned to take a statewide office. The 9th district hasn’t voted for a Democratic leader in 45 years. Rehmet secured victory over Leigh Wambsganss, an activist who advocated for conservative education policies in Tarrant County—the county that houses half of District 9—prior to the election. Wambsganss outspent Rehmet by a significant amount, spending $736,000 on the election compared to Rehmet’s $68,000.

Wambsganss also had the advantage of significant Republican backing. Both President Donald Trump and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick urged Texas Republicans to turn out for the election in the days leading up to it. Trump himself made three separate get–out–the–vote posts in the 48 hours leading up to the election. Still, Democrats in the district showed up to the voting booth in much higher numbers.

Rehmet is a veteran and union president who grew up in Texas. He joined the Air Force at the age of 19 and served for four years. After returning from military service, he worked as a machinist in Texas and joined the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union. Rehmet was elected president of both his state and local chapter. His campaign policies include: supporting veterans, increasing funding for public schools, investing into affordable housing and supporting workers.

Because Rehmet won the seat in a special election, he will only serve out the remaining 11 months of Hancock’s term. To serve a full term, he will have to win the general election once again next November in order to keep his seat. His Republican opponent, Wambsganss, is also expected to run again for the seat. In a statement posted after her loss, she wrote,

“Mr. Rehmet and I will face each other again in November, and I fully expect the results to be different. The dynamics of a Special Election are fundamentally different from the November General Election. I believe the voters of Senate District 9 and Tarrant County Republicans will answer the call in November.”

The loss is a disconcerting one to Republican leadership. Wambsganss’ loss is not the first statistically unlikely loss the Republicans have had this year. It comes only three months after Democrats swept nearly every key gubernatorial and mayoral race up for election this past November.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin called it "a warning sign to Republicans across the country."

Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis posted on Twitter on February 1, “Special elections are quirky and not necessarily projectable re: a general election. That said, a swing of this magnitude be dismissed. Republicans should be clear-eyed about the political environment heading into the midterms.”

The same day, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick acknowledged that, “The results from SD 9 are a wake-up call for Republicans across Texas,” and promised that in November, “We will keep Texas red.”

The general election next year is yet to come, but Republicans are becoming wary of the fast shift in voter approval. It remains to be seen whether the Democrats will manage to capitalize on this in the coming year or if their recent gains will dissolve by the next election cycle. Facing enormous pressure due to the actions of ICE and the presidential administration, though, Republicans have had very weak showings ever since the election of President Trump. Winning back the American people would require a dramatic shift in a very short period of time.