Democrats scored a major upset on Saturday, as machinist union leader Taylor Rehmet easily defeated Republican opponent Leigh Wambsganss in a state senate special election held in a deep-red district that President Donald Trump carried by 17 percentage points in 2024.
With nearly all votes counted, Rehmet holds a 14-point lead in Texas’ Senate District 9, which covers a large portion of Tarrant County.
In a speech before cheering supporters, Rehmet dedicated his victory “to everyday working people” whom he credited with putting his campaign over the top.
This win goes to everyday, working people.
I’ll see you out there! pic.twitter.com/kPWzjn2LhW
— Taylor Rehmet (@TaylorRehmetTX) February 1, 2026
Republican opponent Wambsganss conceded defeat in the race but vowed to win an upcoming rematch in November.
“The dynamics of a special election are fundamentally different from a November general election,” Wambsganss said. “I believe the voters of Senate District 9 and Tarrant County Republicans will answer the call in November.”
Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick reacted somberly to the news of Rehmet’s victory, warning in a social media post that the result was “a wake-up call for Republicans across Texas.”
“Our voters cannot take anything for granted,” Patrick emphasized.
Democratic US Senate candidate James Talarico, on the other hand, cheered Rehmet’s victory, which he hinted was a sign of things to come in the Lone Star State in the 2026 midterm elections.
“Trump won this district by 17 points,” he wrote. “Democrat Taylor Rehmet just flipped it—despite Big Money outspending him 10:1. Something is happening in Texas.”
Steven Monacelli, special correspondent for the Texas Observer, described Rehmet’s victory as “an earthquake of Biblical proportions.”
“Tarrant County is the largest red county in the nation,” Monacelli explained. “I cannot emphasize enough how big this is.”
Adam Carlson, founding partner of polling firm Zenith Research, noted that Rehmet’s victory was truly remarkable given the district’s past voting record.
“The recent high water mark for Dems in the district was 43.6% (Beto 2018),” he wrote, referring to Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s failed 2018 US Senate campaign. “Rehmet’s likely to exceed 55%. The heavily Latino parts of the district shifted sharply to the left from 2024.”
Polling analyst Lakshya Jain said that the big upset in Texas makes more sense when considering recent polling data on voter enthusiasm.
“Our last poll’s generic ballot was D+4,” he explained. “Among the most enthusiastic voters (a.k.a., those who said they would ‘definitely’ vote in 2026)? D+12. Foreseeable and horrible for the GOP.”
Bud Kennedy, a columnist for the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, argued that Rehmet’s victory shows that “Democrats can win almost anywhere in Texas” in 2026.
Kennedy also credited Rehmet with having “the perfect résumé for a District 9 Democrat” as “a Lockheed Martin leader running against a Republican who had lost suburban public school voters, particularly in staunch-red Republican north Fort Worth.”
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