Texas Gun Rights is throwing its weight behind Leigh Wambsganss, the longtime activist who now appears to be the early frontrunner in the special election for Senate District 9.

The group’s political arm, Texas Gun Rights PAC, announced its endorsement on June 1, praising Wambsganss as a “fierce defender of Second Amendment rights” and crediting her with helping secure the state’s recent ban on red flag laws.

“She’s the authentic choice,” said Executive Director Chris McNutt via X. “We call on all patriots to unite behind her, as no other candidate is needed.”

Wambsganss, who declared her candidacy just days ago, has apparently already raised more than $350,000, which she believes is a state record for a Senate campaign launch. “I announced my candidacy on Friday afternoon June 27. And by Monday evening we had deposited over $350,000 into the campaign account,” she said. “I think that’s a record for a Texas State Senate campaign.”

 

Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn, who has also endorsed her, joked, “She could have been cited for speeding.”

Her early fundraising blitz has been matched by a flood of endorsements from some of the most influential Republicans in the state.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Sen. Tan Parker, Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, and dozens of other local, state, and national leaders have backed Wambsganss. She has also drawn support from Southlake City Council member Frances Scharli, Pastor Bill Ramsey, and grassroots groups, including the True Texas Project.

The race was triggered by the June 18 resignation of Sen. Kelly Hancock, a Republican from North Richland Hills who left to become chief clerk of the Texas Comptroller’s Office.

Gov. Greg Abbott has set the special election for November 4.

Hancock, who intends to run for comptroller in 2026, had served in the Senate since 2013. Rep. Nate Schatzline previously announced plans to run for Hancock’s former post, but he withdrew after Wambsganss entered the race.

Wambsganss came to prominence as the Chief Communications Officer at Patriot Mobile, an institution that played a key role in the successful campaigns against Critical Race Theory in Carroll ISD and other places. She served as a congressional staffer during the Republican Revolution of the 1990s and has decades of experience in volunteer organizing, according to her Grabien bio.

“I am not a career politician—I’m a battle-tested conservative who gets results,” she said in her announcement. “I don’t need a paycheck to fight for what’s right—I’ve been doing it my whole life.”

Wambsganss holds degrees from Dallas Baptist University and the University of Central Oklahoma and lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.