Runoff special election in open state Senate seat in Tarrant County receives national attention
Voters head to the polls Saturday for a rare open state Senate seat.
Republican Leigh Wambsganss and Democrat Taylor Rehmet are vying for the Senate District 9 seat in Tarrant County, left vacant by Sen. Kelly Hancock last year when he resigned to become the acting Texas comptroller.
The race has made national headlines because Rehmet nearly won the Republican‑majority district outright in November in a three‑way contest that included Wambsganss and fellow Republican John Huffman, who did not make the runoff. The contest has also drawn the attention of the Democratic National Committee.
The DNC told CBS News Texas that it is helping Rehmet, a local union president in Fort Worth, by reaching out to voters. The DNC's deputy communications director, Abhi Rahman, said in a statement, "The DNC is supporting the Texas Democratic coordinated campaign by recruiting volunteers and bringing our message to more voters. Democrats are building infrastructure in Texas, and the January 31st special election is a crucial test to keep Fort Worth moving forward."
Republicans push turnout effort
Republicans say they are also working to get their supporters out to vote for Wambsganss, an activist in the community for years. They say they want to keep Tarrant County as the nation's largest urban red county.
When asked at a recent campaign event how concerned he is about Republicans being energized to vote for Wambsganss, Gov. Greg Abbott told CBS News Texas, "I'm not concerned, and it does come down to what you say, and that is it's a matter of getting our voters energized. That's exactly what we've been working to do. This is a voter turnout operation. We know there are more Republican voters there than Democratic voters there, and we're going to turn out all our voters, and Leigh is going to win."
Early voting numbers strong
Tarrant County records show nearly 44,000 residents voted early, in some cases despite the cold weather. While Saturday will be a chilly day to vote, it will be sunny. Historically, runoff elections have very low turnout, and the pressure is on the candidates to change that.
Winner will serve remainder of term
Whoever wins will fill the remainder of Hancock's term, which expires at the end of the year. The state Legislature is not in session this year, but lawmakers will still study issues to prepare upcoming bills they plan to file. Both Wambsganss and Rehmet will face each other again in November for the next four‑year term, which begins in January 2027 when the next legislative session starts.
Watch Eye on Politics at 7:30 Sunday morning on CBS News Texas on air and streaming.
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