6:46Taylor Rehmet greets a supporter at his Senate District 9 runoff watch party at Nickel City in Fort Worth, Texas, on Jan. 31, 2026.Eleanor Dearman/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS via Getty Images
After Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a special election for the Texas state Senate over the weekend, flipping a reliably red district and defeating a candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump, he told ABC News he won by focusing on everyday issues.
In an interview with ABC News Live's Kyra Phillips on Monday, Rehmet said his win over Trump-backed conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss was based on issues like "lowering costs, health care, and focusing on working people."
Taylor Rehmet greets a supporter at his Senate District 9 runoff watch party at Nickel City in Fort Worth, Texas, on Jan. 31, 2026.Eleanor Dearman/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS via Getty Images
Rehmet's campaign drew heavily on his experience as a labor union leader, and he campaigned on issues included raising wages, affordable housing and expanding union jobs. Wambsganss' top issues, according to her website, included gun rights, education, cutting taxes and "protecting women's sports."
Rehmet also said "people are tired of campaigns of outrage," indicating a desire to focus on local issues and avoid the national political climate.
On Sunday, Rehmet won election to the Texas State Senate with 57% of the vote in the Fort Worth-based district that Trump won in 2024 by 17 points.
Trump endorsed Wambsganss in the race, calling her a "true MAGA Warrior" in a post on Truth Social ahead of the election.
After Wambsganss’ loss, Trump spoke to reporters at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend and claimed that he was “not involved in” the race and her loss was “too bad.” He downplayed concerns about the election results being a bad sign for Republicans ahead of November’s high-stakes midterm election, saying “You know, I'm not on the ballot, so you don't know whether or not it's transferable.”
Republican Leigh Wambsganss told her supporters on the Jan. 31, 2026, election night that the campaign will learn from the race and come back stronger in November.Rachel Royster/Fort-Worth Star-Telegram via TNS via Newscom
The Democratic National Committee celebrated the victory, saying in a release that the win is "another sign that Democrats have the momentum heading into November.” The party has celebrated a series of high profile off-year victories and special elections, including last year's gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia.
Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wrote in a post on X that the election was "a wake-up call for Republicans across Texas” but that the party “will come out fighting with a new resolve, and we will take this seat back in November.”
The election was held to fill the remainder of a term held by Republican Kelly Hancock, who resigned to run for a statewide position. The victory is largely symbolic as the Texas state Senate will not convene until January 2027. Both candidates will be on the ballot again in March for their respective candidates, and Rehmet will likely face Wambsganss again in November in the regularly scheduled election for the seat.
Rehmet expressed confidence in his campaign’s chances in that election, saying “I’ve won twice already, I will be winning a third time."
Sourse: abcnews.go.com