Headline Roundup • February 2nd, 2026
Democrat Taylor Rehmet Delivers Upset Victory in TX Special Election
Summary from the AllSides News Team
On Saturday, Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a special election for the Texas state Senate, flipping a traditionally-Republican district that President Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024.
The Details: Rehmet, a veteran and labor union leader, easily defeated conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss (R) in the Fort Worth-area district. Rehmet won by over 14 percentage points with all votes counted. The special election was held to fill the open seat of four-term Republican incumbent Kelly Hancock, who had resigned to take a statewide office. Rehmet will serve until next January and he must win the general election in November to be re-elected to a full four-year term. However, the Texas legislature is not set to reconvene until 2027. Democrats said that Rehmet's victory shows that voters are continuing to reject Republican candidates and their policies under the second Trump administration.
Key Quotes: "This win goes to everyday working people," Rehmet told supporters. Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin called it "a warning sign to Republicans across the country."
For Context: So far in this election cycle, the Democratic Party has overperformed in 34 special elections, while Republicans have over-performed in five. Some Republicans have argued that special elections have lower turnout and unique factors and are poor predictors of general election outcomes.
How the Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) reported that Democrats "scored big" and that Trump had weighed in on the race, supporting Wambsganss. CNN (Lean Left) also reported on Trump's support, but also noted that Trump said he was "not involved" in the election when asked by reporters on Sunday.
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Suggest an improvement to this summary.
Featured Coverage of this Story
CNN Digital
Democrats notched another victory Saturday in special elections during President Donald Trump's second term, flipping a seat in the Texas Senate in a district Trump won by 17 points in 2024.
Taylor Rehmet, a union president and Air Force veteran, defeated Trump-backed Leigh Wambsganss in a runoff for the Fort Worth-area 9th District.
With nearly all of the vote counted as of Sunday morning, Rehmet holds a 14-point lead over Wambsganss, a roughly 31-point swing toward the Democrats when compared with the 2024 presidential results there and one of the...
Democrats notched another special election upset Saturday after Taylor Rehmet won a Texas state Senate race in a district long dominated by Republicans.
Rehmet, a labor union leader and Air Force veteran, defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist, in the Fort Worth-area district. With nearly all votes counted, Rehmet led by more than 14 percentage points, and The Associated Press projected him as the victor.
"This win goes to everyday working people," Rehmet told supporters.
The result marked another strong showing for Democrats in special elections this cycle, fueling...
Democrats scored a stunning upset on Saturday in a special election runoff for Texas Senate, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ, giving the party a major boost ahead of the November midterms.
Fort Worth Democrat Taylor Rehmet, a machinist and Air Force veteran, defeated Southlake Republican Leigh Wambsganss to fill the vacant state Senate District 9.
