Chicago – February 01, 2026
Democrat Taylor Rehmet scored a stunning upset in Texas on Saturday, flipping a reliably Republican state Senate district that Donald Trump carried by 17 points in 2024.
Rehmet, a labor union leader, machinist and Air Force veteran, defeated Republican conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss in the Fort Worth–area district, leading by more than 14 percentage points with nearly all ballots counted. The seat, long held by Republicans and previously represented by four-term GOP Sen. Kelly Hancock, opened after Hancock resigned to take a statewide post.
Democrats hailed the result as part of a broader pattern of overperforming in special elections during Trump’s second term, calling the race a warning sign for Republicans in advance of the 2026 midterms. Rehmet will serve until early January and must win again in November’s general election to secure a full four-year term, in a Legislature where Republicans still hold a comfortable majority.
