Democrat Wins Deep-Red State Senate Seat In Landslide, Major Upset
Democratic Texas Senate candidate Taylor Rehmet defeated Trump-endorsed Republican Leigh Wambsganss in a Saturday special election for a seat the president won by double digits three times, multiple outlets project.
Rehmet, a union leader and Air Force veteran, won 57.2% of the vote compared to Wambsganss’s 42.8%, with 95% of the vote in, according to The Associated Press (AP). Texas Senate District 9 — which is entirely based in Tarrant County and includes parts of Fort Worth and Arlington — was last represented by former Republican State Sen. Kelly Hancock who resigned in June 2025 to work for the Texas Comptroller’s Office.
Under its current boundaries, District 9 voted for Trump by 17 percentage points in 2024, 13 points in 2020, and 23 points in 2016, according to data from Dave’s Redistricting App (DRA).
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Voters are fed up with extremist agendas that prioritize culture wars over the doing whats best for Texans.
On Saturday, we will flip this seat and get to work fighting for the issues that actually matter to YOU! pic.twitter.com/r9r9qRhIzl
— Taylor Rehmet (@TaylorRehmetTX) January 29, 2026
Rehmet’s campaign website describes him as a “a union president, veteran, and working-class Texan running for State Senate to fight for public schools, affordable housing, and real results for everyday people.”
Meanwhile, Wambsganss received a last-minute endorsement from Trump. (Read more from “Democrat Wins Deep-Red State Senate Seat In Landslide, Major Upset” HERE)
