Democrats Upset GOP in Key State Race, Fill TX-18: Texas Brief

Feb. 2, 2026, 1:04 PM UTC

Talk about an upset: Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a state Senate seat representing a GOP-leaning district over the Donald Trump-backed Leigh Wambsganss.

I’m Alexandra Samuels, a reporter covering Texas politics. I was one of many who was shocked by Rehmet’s whopping 14-point win in the special election runoff Saturday for the seat in Tarrant County. Trump carried that district by 17 points in 2024, and Wambsganss, a Republican activist, outspent Rehmet by roughly 10 to 1.

Republicans still control the Texas Senate, but Democrats are citing Rehmet’s victory as another example of over-performance in special elections this cycle. Even ...

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