Signs for Democrat Taylor Rehmet and Republican Leigh Wambsganss outlined the sidewalks leading to Keller City Hall on Jan. 31, 2026, where voters will choose between the two candidates for Texas Senate District 9.
Early voting totals put Democrat Taylor Rehmet ahead of Republican Leigh Wambsganss in a special election for a vacant North Texas Senate seat.
Wambsganss, a conservative activist who works for Patriot Mobile, which describes itself as a Christian, conservative cell phone company, and Rehmet, a union leader and aircraft mechanic, are in a head-to-head fight for Senate District 9.
Rehmet had 56.23% of the vote to Wambsganss’ 43.77%.
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The first round of the Senate District 9 special election in November was marked by political spars between two Republican candidates, contributions from Republican donor billionaires and an upset when Rehmet got the most votes in what has been a historically red district, pushing the race into a runoff.
Rehmet earned 48% of votes — not enough to win the race outright, but enough to put him in the lead of Wambsganss by nearly 12 percentage points in what’s considered a red district. The trend corresponded with Democratic victories across the country in what many saw as a referendum on Trump’s second term.
The district covers most of western and northern Tarrant County, and is open after former senator Kelly Hancock left the Legislature to serve as acting Texas comptroller. Rehmet led in the first round of voting in November, but neither candidate received more than 50% of the votes, pushing the race into Saturday’s runoff.
The last Democratic senator from Northeast Tarrant County was Bill Meier of Hurst, who won in 1978 and switched to the Republican Part in 1981. .
The winner will fill out the remainder of Hancock’s term over the next year. Both Rehmet and Wambsganss are running for a full term in the November general election.
The race is being closely-watched, as Democrats hope to win what has long been viewed as a solidly-red Senate district.
The Texas Legislature doesn’t gavel in for its next legislative session in Austin until 2027. Unless Gov. Greg Abbott calls a special session before then, the newly-elected senator won’t be voting on new laws over the next year.
Instead, the lawmaker’s job is likely to include helping constituents and attending interim hearings, where testimony is taken and potential policies are studied in preparation the coming session.
This story was originally published January 31, 2026 at 7:03 PM.
Eleanor Dearman
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Eleanor (Elly) Dearman is a Texas politics and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She’s based in Austin, covering the Legislature and its impact on North Texas. She grew up in Denton and has been a reporter for more than six years.
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Rachel Royster
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Rachel Royster is a news and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, specifically focused on Tarrant County. She joined the newsroom after interning at the Austin American-Statesman, the Waco Tribune-Herald and Capital Community News in DC. A Houston native and Baylor grad, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading and being outside. She welcomes any and all news tips to her email.
