Fort Worth, Texas — Democrat Taylor Rahmat won a special election for the Texas State Senate on Saturday, flipping a reliably Republican district that President Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024.
Rahmat, a union leader and veteran, defeated Republican Lee Wambsgans, a conservative activist, in a Fort Worth-area district. After almost all the votes were counted, Rahmat had a comfortable lead of more than 14 percentage points.
His victory added to Democrats’ track record of outperformance in special elections so far this cycle. Democrats said it was further evidence that voters under the second Trump administration are motivated to reject GOP candidates and their policies.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin called it “a warning sign for Republicans across the country.”
Rahmat’s victory allows him to remain in office only until early January, and he must win the general election in November to retain the seat for a full four-year term. The Texas Legislature is not scheduled to reconvene until 2027, and the Republican Party will still have a comfortable majority.
Trump posted about the race on his social media platform earlier Saturday, urging voters to come out to support Wambsganns. He described her as a successful entrepreneur and an “incredible supporter” of his “Make America Great Again” movement.
But Rahmat received support from national organizations, including the DNC and VoteVets, a veterans group that said it spent $500,000 on ads.
The seat was open because Kelly Hancock, a four-term GOP incumbent, resigned to take statewide office. Hancock won election easily each time he ran for office. The Republican has held this seat for decades.
Democrats have been encouraged by their election performance since Trump took office. In november party Take control The first major election day since returning to the White House, where he notably won gubernatorial races Virginia and New Jersey. Democratic candidates also won special elections in Kentucky and Iowa. And while Republican Van Eps died After winning Tennessee’s special election for a seat in the US House of Representatives, the relatively narrow margin of victory gave Democrats hope in elections this fall. Mid-term.
