Texas stunner: Democrat Taylor Rehmet flips Republican state Senate
district Trump won by 17 points
[February 02, 2026]
By JOHN HANNA and JULIE CARR SMYTH
Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a reliably Republican state Senate
district in Texas in Saturday's special election, continuing a string of
surprise victories for Democrats across the U.S. in the year since
Donald Trump returned to the White House.
The Republican president immediately distanced himself from the loss in
a district he'd won by 17 points in 2024.
“I’m not involved in that. That’s a local Texas race," Trump told
reporters Sunday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Yet just a day before the race, Trump had heaped praise on Republican
contender Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist and entrepreneur, on
his social media platform, declaring that she would be “a GREAT
Candidate and has my Complete and Total Endorsement.” A longer post came
later, in which he urged Texans to get out and vote, describing
Wambsganss as a successful entrepreneur and “an incredible supporter” of
his Make America Great Again movement.
Despite the plugs, Wambsganss was easily trounced in the Fort Worth-area
district by Rehmet, a labor union leader and veteran, for a partial term
ending in early January. With almost all votes counted, Rehmet was
leading by more than 14 percentage points.
“This win goes to everyday working people,” Rehmet told supporters.
Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the outcome “a wake-up call
for Republicans across Texas,” where the GOP controls every statewide
office.
“Our voters cannot take anything for granted,” Patrick wrote on X, while
noting low-turnout special elections are always unpredictable. “I know
the energy and strength the Republican grassroots in Texas possess. We
will come out fighting with a new resolve, and we will take this seat
back in November.”
Rehmet's victory added to the Democrats’ record of overperforming in
special elections so far this cycle, beginning in March — when they
prevailed in a Pennsylvania legislative district made up of suburbanites
and farmers that Democrats hadn't held in a century — and continuing
through to November, when they dominated candidate and ballot contests
from Maine to California.
And Zohran Mamdani, an unapologetic Democratic Socialist, was elected
mayor of New York City, a Democratic stronghold that saw the highest
voter turnout in a mayor's race in 50 years.
The showings come as Trump’s approval ratings with the public hold
steady at around 40%. A January AP-NORC poll found that a majority of
U.S. adults disapprove of the way he's handling foreign policy, trade
negotiations and immigration, as well as the economy.
Democrats said Saturday's results in Texas were further evidence that
voters under the second Trump administration are motivated to reject GOP
candidates and their policies.
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In this image taken from KXAS video, State Sen-elect Taylor Rehmet
(D) speaks Jan. 31, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas, after winning a
special election for the Texas state Senate and flipped a reliably
Republican district that President Donald Trump won by 17 points in
2024. (KXAS via AP)
Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder said Rehmet won by
standing with working people and talking to Texans about the future.
“This win shows what is possible in Texas with strong organizing,
great candidates and strategic investments," he said in a statement.
“People are noticing that Democrats have the workers’ backs and are
delivering results.”
Democrats' other state victories since 2025 included wins for
governor in Virginia and New Jersey and in special elections in
Kentucky and Iowa. And, while Republican Matt Van Epps won a
Tennessee special election for a U.S. House seat, the relatively
slim margin of victory gave Democrats hope for this fall’s midterms.
With that backdrop in mind, Trump and Vice President JD Vance have
pushed states to redraw their political maps to Republicans'
advantage headed into those contests, which will determine partisan
control in Washington. Some Democratic states — most notably
California — have pushed back with their own redistricting efforts.
The Texas Senate seat was open because the four-term GOP incumbent,
Kelly Hancock, resigned to take a statewide office. Hancock easily
won election each time he ran for the office, and Republicans have
held the seat for decades.
The district is redder than its home, Tarrant County. Trump won the
county by 5 points in 2024, but Democratic President Joe Biden
carried it in 2020 by about 1,800 votes out of more than 834,000
cast.
But Rehmet had support from national organizations, including the
DNC and VoteVets, a veterans group that said it spent $500,000 on
ads. Rehmet, who served in the Air Force and works as a machinist,
focused on lowering costs, supporting public education and
protecting jobs.
Wambsganss called Saturday's result “a wakeup call for Republicans
in Tarrant County, Texas, and the nation” and warned her party not
to be complacent.
“The Democrats were energized," she said in a statement. "Too many
Republicans stayed home.”
Rehmet’s victory allows him to serve only until early January. He
will face Wambsganss again in the November general election to
decide who occupies the seat for a full four-year term. The Texas
Legislature is not set to reconvene until 2027, and the GOP still
will have a comfortable majority.
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Will Weissert contributed to this report from Palm Beach, Florida.
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