How a Democrat defeated the Republican in a GOP majority state Senate district in Tarrant County
It was a major political upset that delighted Democrats and rattled Republicans here in North Texas, across the state, and the nation.
Democrat Taylor Rehmet trounced Republican Leigh Wambsganss in the special runoff election for the open state Senate District 9 seat, which had been held by a Republican for decades and in which President Trump won by 17 percentage points in 2024.
Democrats locally and nationally said Rehmet's victory will lead to big gains in the November midterm election. Republicans in Texas expressed confidence about this and other races in November.
After reviewing the election results from Jan. 31, Ross Hunt, a Republican pollster and Principal of Hunt Research in Dallas, has concluded there was no blue wave of high Democratic turnout for Rehmet and that Wambsganss lost mostly because she didn't persuade independents and secure voters in the Republican base. Rehmet won by 14 percentage points, 57% to 43%.
In an interview for Eye On Politics, Hunt said, "The Democrat won this seat because almost all of the independent voters who voted in this election, and some of the Republican voters, voted for the Democrat. And that is the biggest warning sign for Republican candidates this fall."
Hunt said he found that between 25% and 33% of Republicans and between 55% and 75% of independents voted for Rehmet.
He and Wambsganss made it to the runoff after emerging as the top two candidates from the November election. Another Republican in the race, former Southlake Mayor John Huffman, came in third place.
Hunt found that Wambsganss received 8,445 fewer GOP votes in Fort Worth in January than she and Huffman had combined in November.
That's 62% of the GOP margin of defeat. Hunt also found that Wambsganss received 6,956 fewer GOP votes in Keller and Southlake in January than she and Huffman had combined in November. That's 32% of the GOP margin of defeat.
Rehmet's remarks on his win
In an interview about his surprise victory, Rehmet told Eye On Politics, "The biggest thing I would say is I did the work. I stuck to what I wanted to do, and that was go meet voters of all different parties. Talk with them, not at them. Listen. Understand the issues of what they're facing day to day. That's what we did. It really comes down to not Democrat or Republican, but right versus wrong."
Rehmet will be sworn in later this month. He said he spoke with Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who backed Wambsganss. Rehmet said Patrick congratulated him.
"We ran a hard campaign. I think everyone saw that. I think, Republican or Democrat, we both had to run a campaign. We both worked hard. I won, but it's still something I'm glad to be congratulated on because it was a lot of work," he said.
In a statement, Wambsganss said the election "is a wake-up call for Republicans in Tarrant County, Texas, and the nation. The Democrats were energized. Too many Republicans stayed home."
November 2026 rematch
Both Wambsganss and Rehmet will face off against each other again in November for a new four-year term beginning in January 2027.
Tarrant County GOP Chairman Tim Davis also described the results as a wake-up call, and like Wambsganss, they expect to win back this seat in November.
"There will be a lot more voters in November. That's what we're looking towards. That's what we're looking forward to, is this election will be back on the ballot in November, and these same candidates will be head-to-head again in November, and we expect the result to be different," Davis said.
Tarrant County Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Campolo told CBS News Texas she has a very different take. She is predicting a blue wave in Tarrant County in November.
"Yes, there will be more Republicans in November, but there will be way more Democrats, and so we're not only going to hold onto Senate District 9, but that race, that win, is going to carry us to win every single race that's important to us. This will be a clean sweep for Democrats come November."
She also predicted that, aside from receiving additional fundraising from outside Texas for the midterm elections, more Democrats in Tarrant County and the Lone Star State will contribute to campaigns in the state instead of sending them to other Democratic candidates out of state.
President Trump endorsed Wambsganss and urged people to vote for her on various social media posts. Last Sunday, he was asked about her loss.
"Things like that happen," he said. "You don't know whether it's not transferable. I'm not on the ballot."
Race for U.S. Senate
The president also suggested he may make an endorsement in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate after all. Politico reported last month that the President would not back any of the three candidates: Senator John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton, or Houston Congressman Wesley Hunt. After Rehmet's win, the president said he is rethinking his decision.
"I'm giving it very serious thought. You know, my problem is I'm friendly with all of them. Those are hard ones. I like all of them. All three. But you'll be seeing soon. They say who I endorse wins. That's probably correct." Senate Republican leaders have been urging the President to endorse Cornyn for months.
The latest independent poll in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate shows the race has tightened even further. The J.L. Partners poll shows Paxton leading with 27%, with Hunt at 25.7%, and Cornyn at 25.5%, and 21.7% are unsure.