Democrat and machinist union leader Taylor Rehmet won the special election Saturday to represent a solidly red Texas Senate district that President Donald Trump carried by 17 points in 2024, a stunning upset that injected a fresh and urgent sense of a panic into the GOP from the Texas Capitol to the White House heading into November’s midterm elections.
The win will be short-lived for Rehmet, a first-time candidate who will serve out the roughly 11 months remaining in the term of Republican Kelly Hancock, who vacated the seat to become Texas’ acting comptroller.
In a speech at his election night party late Saturday, Rehmet thanked his supporters for helping secure the victory.
“The dynamics of a special election are fundamentally different from a November general election,” Wambsganss said.
Saturday’s special runoff election was necessary after Rehmet secured 47% of the vote in November, coming within about three percentage points of an outright win.
Rehmet was far outspent in the leadup to the November election, spending $68,000 compared to millions spent by the two GOP candidates.
Patrick, the upper chamber’s presiding officer, contributed $300,000 to Wambsganss’ campaign through his PAC, Texas Senate Leadership Fund. »