‘An earthquake of biblical proportions’ as Democrat flips deep-red Texas Senate seat

Democrats pulled off a major upset on Saturday, as machinists union leader Taylor Remitt easily defeated Republican opponent Lee Wambsgans in a state Senate special election held in a deep red district that President Donald Trump won by 17 percentage points in 2024.

With almost all the votes counted, Rahmat has a 14-point lead in Texas’ 9th Senate District, which covers much of Tarrant County.

In a speech to cheering supporters, Rahmat dedicated his victory to the “ordinary workers” whom he credited with putting his campaign to the forefront.

Republican challenger Wambsganss conceded defeat in the race but vowed to win the next rematch in November.

“The dynamics of the special election are fundamentally different from the general election in November,” Wambsjans said. “I believe 9th Senate District voters and Tarrant County Republicans will heed the call in November.”

Republican Texas Gov. Dan Patrick reacted grimly to the news of Rahmat’s victory, warning in a social media post that the result was a “wake-up call for Republicans across Texas.”

“Our voters cannot take anything for granted,” Patrick stressed.

Democratic US Senate candidate James Talarico, on the other hand, welcomed Rahmat’s win, which he hinted was a sign of things to come in the Lone Star State in the 2026 midterm elections.

“Trump won this district by 17 points,” he wrote. “Democrat Taylor Rahmat just flipped it — even though the big money is spending on him 10:1. There’s something going on in Texas.”

Stephen Monacelli, special correspondent for the Texas Observer, described Rahma’s victory as “an earthquake of biblical proportions.”

“Tarrant County is the largest red county in the country,” Monacelli explained. “I can’t stress enough how big this is.”

Adam Carlson, co-founder of polling firm Zenith Research, noted that Rahmat’s win was truly remarkable given his previous voting record in the district.

“The recent high vote percentage for Democrats in the district was 43.6% (Beto 2018),” he wrote, referring to Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s failed 2018 U.S. Senate campaign. “Rahmat’s percentage will likely exceed 55%. The majority-Latino parts of the district have shifted sharply to the left starting in 2024.”

Polling analyst Lakshya Jain said the major upheaval in Texas makes more sense when considering recent polling data on voter enthusiasm.

“The overall poll in our last poll was D+4,” he explained. “Among the most enthusiastic voters (aka those who said they would ‘definitely’ vote in 2026)? D+12. Predictable and terrible for the GOP.”

Rahmat’s win shows that “Democrats can win almost anywhere in Texas” in 2026, said Bud Kennedy, a columnist for the Forth Worth Star-Telegram.

Kennedy also credited Rahmat with having the “perfect resume for a District 9 Democrat” as a “Lockheed Martin leader running against a Republican who has lost suburban public school voters, particularly in solidly Republican north Fort Worth.”

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