According to unofficial results released by Tarrant County late Saturday, Democrat Taylor Rehmet defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss in the Texas Senate District 9 special runoff election.
Unofficial tallies show Rehmet received 54,280 votes, or 57.21%, while Wambsganss received 40,600 votes, or 42.79%, in the contest for the unexpired term.
The special runoff election followed a November special election in which candidates from both major parties appeared on the same ballot, a format often referred to as a “jungle” election. In that system, no party primary is held, and if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers advance to a runoff regardless of party affiliation.
The special runoff election was triggered after former District 9 Sen. Kelly Hancock resigned from the Texas Senate and was named chief clerk by Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, a role in which he assumed the duties of acting comptroller. Hancock is now running for the Comptroller’s seat on a permanent basis in the March primary against former State Senator, Don Huffines, and Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick.
The runoff followed a November special election in which no candidate secured a majority of the vote. Rehmet advanced after finishing first in the initial contest, while Wambsganss placed second.
Former Southlake Mayor John Huffman, who also ran in November and finished with 16% of the vote, failed to make the runoff and received criticism from within party circles for entering the race after Wambsganss had already secured the endorsement of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Some Republicans have argued that the presence of multiple GOP candidates in the November election — including former Southlake Mayor John Huffman — split the Republican vote, allowing Rehmet to advance to the runoff.
That argument was echoed by several Republican commentators and activists on social media following the runoff, who pointed to the split Republican vote in the initial contest and Hancock’s departure from the Senate seat as contributing factors in the outcome.
Dana Loesch argued that a split Republican vote in the initial round of the special election played a decisive role in the runoff outcome | Screenshot via X
Criticism by some Republicans on social media also focused on Hancock.
Republican attorney Adam Loewy criticized former Sen. Kelly Hancock’s decision to vacate the seat and warned of political consequences if Republicans fail to reclaim the district in November | Screenshot via X
GOP leaders also attributed the low turnout to limited public awareness of the special election just weeks before the Super Tuesday primary, as well as a winter storm that disrupted early voting.
Texas Senate District 9 includes portions of Tarrant County, including Fort Worth and surrounding suburban communities. The district has historically voted overwhelmingly Republican in statewide and federal races. Democrats have celebrated Rehmet’s victory as a result as evidence that Tarrant County is “turning blue”.
The reality is more complicated, however. Because the Texas Legislature is not scheduled to convene again until 2027, the winner of the runoff may have limited legislative activity during the remainder of the unexpired term. Wambsganss is unopposed in the March primary and is set to face Rehmet again in a traditional November general election in a district former Sen. Kelly Hancock last won by 20 points in 2022.
When reached for comment Tarrant County GOP Chair Tim Davis told DX, “There’s no panic over here”, and that he “fully expects the result to be reversed” in the November general election.
