Another special election -- this time in a seat Democrats haven't held since the 1980s -- and another Democrat over-performs and replaces a Trump-endorsed MAGAt:
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.
The district favored President Trump — who endorsed Wambsganss earlier on Saturday — by 17 points in 2024. The race went to a runoff after none of the candidates were able to clinch a majority in the November election.
Rehmet’s overperformance in the fall stoked concerns for the GOP, and a number of prominent party leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott (R), intervened in the race in an effort to boost Wambsganss.
“When a grassroots union organizer like Taylor Rehmet overperforms by almost 20 points and forces a runoff, it couldn’t be any clearer that voters are tired of Republican bullshit,” Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder said in a statement after the November race.
Rehmet’s victory is sure to fuel Democratic optimism heading into the midterms, where the party is hoping to flip the House and potentially even the Senate amid growing anxiety over the economy and anger over Trump’s immigration policies.
The seat opened up after Republican state Sen. Kelly Hancock was tapped as acting state comptroller.
When a +17 Trump district in Texas flips to a +15 Democrat district, it's telling us that there are going to be a lot of extinct Republican officeholders come November. It can't come soon enough.
It shows us that if Democrats compete even in solid Republican places, they can win. It also signals that Republicans better not mess with Texas elections given this level of involvement and a popular determination to throw the fascist rascals out.
(Image: State Sen.- elect Taylor Rehmet / via DLCC facebook)
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