In Texas, a state Senate election over the weekend has unnerved Republicans around the country after a Democrat in a deeply red district easily defeated the Republican candidate.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Here in the U.S., Republicans are worrying about the implications of a Texas legislative race where a Democrat won this weekend in a Republican stronghold. Andrew Schneider of Houston Public Media reports on the surprising result and what it might mean for the midterms.
ANDREW SCHNEIDER, BYLINE: On Saturday, Texas Democrats flipped a state Senate seat in the Fort Worth area that had been in Republican hands for more than 30 years.
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TAYLOR REHMET: This win goes to everyday working people.
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SCHNEIDER: That’s Taylor Rehmet after a special election runoff win. Two years ago, President Trump won the solidly red district by 17 points, and he endorsed the GOP candidate. But Rehmet beat Leigh Wambsganss by more than 14 points despite being vastly outspent.
MARK JONES: Fort Worth has remained, in Texas, one of the last readouts of more moderate George W. Bush Republicans.
SCHNEIDER: Mark Jones teaches politics at Rice University. He believes Rehmet won because some moderate Republicans either stayed home or voted for the Democrat.
JONES: This should be setting off some warning bells for both Texas Republicans as well as national Republicans because it could suggest that the direction of the Trump administration has gone too far in the eyes of these moderates, which could cause them to give Democratic candidates a second look in November of 2026.
SCHNEIDER: Bill Miller, an Austin-based political consultant who has worked for both major parties, says it’s a tall order for Democrats to win a statewide office in Texas, such as the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn. But…
BILL MILLER: The Republicans, unless they really pay close attention, will suffer some setbacks.
SCHNEIDER: In a social media post, Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called the special election a wake-up call for Republicans across Texas. Rehmet wasn’t the only Democrat to win Saturday. In Houston, Christian Menefee won a runoff to complete the congressional term of Sylvester Turner, who died last March. Menefee’s election reduces the GOP majority in the U.S. House to four seats.
For NPR News, I’m Andrew Schneider in Houston.
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