Democrats scored another surprising win this weekend, flipping a Texas state Senate seat that Donald Trump carried by a wide margin. CNN now projects that Democrat Taylor Rehmet, a union president and Air Force veteran, has defeated Trump-backed Republican Leigh Wambsganss in the runoff for Senate District 9, a Fort Worth-area seat long considered safe territory for the GOP.
Rehmet had already led the field in November’s first round with 48 percent of the vote. His win on Saturday marks one of the biggest upsets of the year — and adds to a growing list of special-election victories for Democrats during Trump’s second term.
The district’s Republican tilt wasn’t subtle. Under its current boundaries, Trump won it by 17 points in 2024, 13 points in 2020, and 23 points in 2016. That’s exactly why this race caught national attention.
Wambsganss, a conservative activist and executive at Patriot Mobile — a company that brands itself as a Christian, conservative wireless provider — entered the final stretch with strong backing from Trump. The former president posted multiple endorsements for her on social media in the final two days of the race, calling her a “true MAGA warrior” and urging supporters to rally behind her.
We're in the New York Times!
— Taylor Rehmet (@TaylorRehmetTX) January 29, 2026
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
But the late push wasn’t enough.
With 95 percent of votes counted, Rehmet secured 57.2 percent, compared to Wambsganss’s 42.8 percent, according to the Associated Press.
Rehmet’s campaign positioned him as a working-class Texan focused on public schools, affordable housing, and practical results for everyday families — a message that appears to have resonated with voters across party lines.
The seat has been empty since last summer, after long-time Republican Senator Kelly Hancock resigned to join the Texas Comptroller’s Office. Few expected Democrats to seriously compete here, let alone win.
This upset isn’t happening in isolation. It’s the latest in a string of Democratic overperformances in red districts. In recent months, Democrats have won special elections in Georgia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and other states — often in places where Trump won by double digits the previous cycle.
For national Democrats, Rehmet’s win is another sign that voter mood is shifting in unexpected ways heading into the midterms. For Republicans, it’s a warning that even once-reliable districts aren’t the sure bets they used to be.
Whether this becomes a broader trend or just an early-year shock remains to be seen. But for now, Taylor Rehmet’s victory stands out: a Democrat winning big in the heart of Trump territory.
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