A near upset in North Texas Senate race jolts frayed Democratic hopes ahead of 2026 [View all]

For months, the special election to succeed Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock in a red-leaning North Texas Senate seat revolved around the two Republicans in the race.

But once the early voting and Election Day ballots were all counted on Tuesday, it was Democrat Taylor Rehmet who raked in the most votes out of all three candidates, coming within three percentage points — fewer than 3,000 votes — of a stunning outright win. He led with 47.6% of votes over conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss’ 36% and former Republican Southlake Mayor John Huffman’s 16%.

It was a remarkable finish for a Democrat running in a Tarrant County-based district that voted for President Donald Trump by more than 17 points last year, and who spent just $68,000 compared to the millions deployed by each of his GOP opponents.

Because nobody won a majority of the votes, Rehmet and Wambsganss will face off in a runoff election, likely in January. Despite coming out of Tuesday on top, Rehmet remains an underdog in the overtime contest, with his nearly 48% support in the first round outweighed by the combined GOP vote for his opponents.



https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/05/texas-senate-special-election-democrats-tarrant-county/