Taylor Rehmet flips Republican Texas state Senate seat to Democrat control

Democrats clinched another special election Saturday after Taylor Rehmet won a Texas state Senate race in a district long dominated by Republicans.

Rehmet, a union leader and Air Force veteran, defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist, in the Fort Worth district. With almost all the votes counted, Rehmet led by more than 14 percentage points and the Associated Press was reporting him as the winner.

“This victory goes to ordinary workers,” Rehmet told his supporters.

The result marks another strong showing for Democrats in this cycle’s special election, fueling the party’s claims that voters will turn against Republicans during President Donald Trump’s second term. Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin called the result “a warning sign for Republicans across the country.”

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The State Capitol is seen in Austin, Texas on June 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, file)

The seat opened after longtime GOP Sen. Kelly Hancock resigned to take statewide office. Republicans had held the district for decades, and Hancock won four terms with little opposition.

The district is even more Republican than its home county, Tarrant. Trump won the county by five points in 2024, but took the district with a 17-point victory.

Trump weighed in on the race Saturday, urging voters to support Wambsganss on social media and praising her as a strong supporter of the MAGA movement. Rehmet, however, has enjoyed significant national Democratic support, including from the DNC and the veterans group VoteVets, which said it spent about $500,000 on advertising.

President Donald Trump speaks to Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives during their annual policy retreat, January 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Rehmet, who works as a machinist, campaigned on cutting costs, protecting jobs and supporting public education.

Democrats have gained momentum in elections since Trump’s return to the White House, winning high-profile runoff elections in Virginia and New Jersey in November and special elections in Kentucky and Iowa. Even in the recent special election to the Tennessee House, Republicans won by a slimmer margin than expected.

The Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas on February 28, 2022. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

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Rehmet’s term will only last until January. He must win the November general election to hold the seat for a full four-year term. Republicans will still maintain a comfortable majority in the Texas Senate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.