Trump Can’t Shake Off Blame After Democrat Taylor Rehmet’s Shock Win in Deep-Red Texas District
Democrats scored a stunning upset in Texas over the weekend as union leader Taylor Rehmet defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss by 14 percentage points in a special election for a state Senate seat in the Fort Worth suburbs — a district that Donald Trump carried by 17 points in the 2024 presidential race.
The result immediately sent shockwaves through GOP circles, with Republicans scrambling to explain how a deep-red district slipped away despite heavy spending, high-profile endorsements and a last-minute turnout push.
Trump, who had posted multiple get-out-the-vote messages backing Wambsganss in the days before the election, quickly attempted to distance himself from the outcome. “Somebody ran where? I’m not involved with that,” he told reporters the following day.
But Steve Benen, a producer for The Rachel Maddow Show, argued in a column that Trump “owns the race’s outcome whether he admits it or not.”
Benen pointed to a broader pattern emerging in recent special elections, noting that Democrats have repeatedly overperformed expectations in 2025 and early 2026, raising alarms for Republicans ahead of the midterms.
He cited recent Democratic victories in Minnesota that restored partisan balance in the state House, but said the Texas race drew even greater national attention because, “on paper,” Rehmet’s victory seemed “wholly implausible.”
Wambsganss, a prominent figure in conservative school board movements and chief communications officer for Patriot Mobile, had significant institutional backing and vastly outspent her opponent. Yet that advantage failed to translate into votes.
Benen wrote that Republican candidates relying on Trump’s endorsement “should probably keep this in mind through the coming months,” suggesting the president’s political influence may not be as potent in down-ballot contests as the GOP assumes.
For Democrats, the upset is being viewed as a warning sign for Republicans — and a potential blueprint for competitive races even in districts that appear safely red on paper.
