Democrat Taylor Rehmet wins special Texas Senate race in Fort Worth suburbs

Taylor Rehmet, a Democrat and local union leader, won a state Senate special election on Saturday in a Fort Worth-area district that President Trump carried by more than 17 percentage points just over a year ago, defeating Republican Leigh Wambsganss by 57 to 43. Mr. Rehmet, a first-time candidate and machinist at a Lockheed Martin plant, ran on support for public education and vocational programs and said he did not like party labels and believed voters were tired of partisanship.

He told supporters the victory belonged to everyday working people and pledged to keep engaging them. Ms. Wambsganss, also a first-time candidate and longtime conservative activist, had led social conservative efforts on local school boards in 2022 but faced a backlash last year when more moderate candidates replaced many of those board members.

She received endorsements from President Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and the chairman of the Republican National Committee met with her the week before the runoff. The race drew national attention as a potential barometer of Republican strength in the midterms and prompted heavy party involvement after Mr.

Rehmet outperformed expectations in a first round in November. The Democratic National Committee helped surge support for his runoff campaign; DNC chair Ken Martin said the result showed that no Republican seat is safe, while some Republicans called the outcome a warning sign. Mr.

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