Partisan elections in January are as rare as snowstorms in South Padre, but voters in northern Tarrant County have the chance to participate in one this month. Democrat Taylor Rehmet faces Republican Leigh Wambsganss in the runoff for Texas Senate District 9. Early voting began Wednesday and continues through Tuesday. Election day is Saturday, Jan. 31.
The seat became vacant last year when former Sen. Kelly Hancock resigned to become interim state comptroller. Three candidates ran in the November special election to finish out the remaining year of Hancock’s term. Rehmet won 47.5% of the votes, Wambsganss secured 36% and another GOP candidate, former Southlake Mayor John Huffman, received 16.5%. The district has been reliably Republican, so Rehmet’s strong showing surprised some observers.
State politics have become intensely, lamentably partisan, with more emphasis on purity tests than practical governance. That development would trouble the legislative leaders of a few decades ago, who together laid the foundation for the state’s current economic prosperity. No party has a monopoly on good ideas; conscientious lawmakers listen to all of their constituents.
With that as context, we recommend Rehmet for the District 9 seat. He is a newcomer to politics, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a machinist and a union leader. In interviews, he has described his top issues as full funding for public schools and the rising cost of living. He opposes the state’s new taxpayer-funded private-school voucher program. His interviews and social media posts steer away from culture-war issues.
Opinion
Rehmet also has said he would like to reform campaign finance laws, including capping individual contributions in most races (judicial elections already have limits) and that he supports term limits.
“I don’t want to make a career out of being a senator,” Rehmet told KTVT-TV (Channel 11) political reporter Jack Fink. “I want to serve, just like I did in the U.S. military, and then I want to live my life after.”
Both candidates have said they have heard many complaints about high property taxes, but both were disappointingly vague about how to resolve the issue while still funding public education.
Wambsganss, the likely front-runner in a conservative district, has raised significantly more money during the final 10 weeks of 2025, including a $200,000 contribution from Texans For Lawsuit Reform PAC and $100,000 from the Texas Senate Leadership Fund. Her campaign Facebook profile describes her as “ULTRA MAGA” and Republicans from President Donald Trump to the governor and many local officials have endorsed her.
Those factors indicate that Wambsganss would perpetuate, rather than diminish, the divisive atmosphere in Austin. We don’t agree with all of Rehmet’s ideas. But he talks like a pragmatist, which makes him the better choice for this seat. The term expires this year, so the winner will face reelection in November.
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