Democrat Taylor Rehmet and Republican Leigh Wambsganss are running for Tarrant County state Senate District 9.
philip.jankowski@dallasnews.com
AUSTIN – Taylor Rehmet pulled off a stunning Democratic upset in a Republican Tarrant County stronghold in January. Now he has to do it again.
The Democrat won a state Senate seat that had been in Republican hands for decades, giving his party fresh hope of making inroads in traditionally GOP territory.
State Sen. Taylor Rehmet, D-Fort Worth, waves as he’s recognized during a news conference at Bell Manor Elementary School on Aug. 14 in Bedford.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Republican Leigh Wambsganss at a event sponsored by Moms for Liberty, a conservative parents’ rights group.
Courtesy shot/Dallas Morning News
Ten months later, Rehmet faces a rematch against Republican Leigh Wambsganss, this time in a higher-turnout general election that will test whether his first victory was a political quirk of a low-turnout special election or a sign of changing political loyalties.
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Rehmet won by 14 points in a district President Donald Trump had carried by 17 points in 2024, a remarkable reversal for Democrats.
But the special election drew only 16.3% of registered voters, roughly one-third the turnout for the same Senate seat in the 2022 general election.
A shift among Hispanic voters back toward Democrats helped propel Rehmet’s January win.
Rehmet said he believes the shift reflects frustration over rising costs rather than allegiance to either party. He said voters he’s talked to are fed up with current leadership and want a candidate who can help provide financial relief.
“They don’t have time to focus on the culture wars or the campaigns of outrage. They only have time to focus on why is my paycheck not going as far as it did,” he told The Dallas Morning News.
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Wambsganss sees a different lesson in January’s results. She called the election “a blessing” that awakened Republicans to the county’s changing demographics and the need to do a better job communicating their efforts to reduce property taxes, such as expanding the homestead exemption.
“Republicans have a lot of work to do, and I feel like our state Legislature has done better session after session,” she said in an interview.
Political contrasts
Rehmet, 34, is a union organizer and machinist for Lockheed Martin who, after his nine months in office, has not had the chance to cast a single vote or file a bill. That’s because the Legislature has not been in session.
He assumed the unexpired term of former Sen. Kelly Hancock, who resigned in 2025 to accept an appointment as comptroller.
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Wambsganss, 58, is the chief communications officer for Patriot Mobile, a cellphone service provider that advocates for conservative causes, and became involved in North Texas school board elections.
Rehmet has drawn support from prominent Texas Democrats, while Wambsganss has secured endorsements from leading Texas Republicans, including President Donald Trump.
She has a significant financial advantage, having raised and spent more than six times as much as Rehmet.
Contributions from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a group that pushes to limit lawsuits and damages, and a political action committee backed by Republican megadonor Tim Dunn helped push her fundraising total to $1.2 million since July 1.
Rehmet raised $192,000 over the same period mainly from Lake Bridgeport business owner Daniel Cocanougher, union groups and small donors.
But the gap is narrower in cash on hand, with Wambsganss reporting about $195,000 remaining compared with Rehmet’s $127,000.
Campaign criticism
Wambsganss’ critics say she has run to the center to co-opt Rehmet’s affordability-centric message.
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While her message on the campaign trail has remained focused on property tax reform, they point to her involvement with Patriot Mobile as proof that she is more conservative than she projects.
The company calls itself “America’s only Christian conservative wireless provider,” and it made waves in North Texas after its political advocacy wing supported the election wins of numerous school board candidates.
In some districts where those candidates won controlling majorities, they worked to install new policies that dictated how teachers could talk about race, what library books are on shelves and transgender pronouns.
“She’s just making a desperate attempt to convince people that she’s something she’s not,” said Tarrant County Democratic Chair Allison Campolo.
She cited the removal of Trump endorsement language from campaign signs as evidence of Wambsganss distancing herself from the president.
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Wambsganss dismissed those accusations and said she is not hiding her endorsements from Trump or other Republicans. “It’s silly,” she said.
“Distancing myself from anyone has not been a thought that has come across my mind,” she said.
Competiting policies
While the campaign has been focused on reducing property taxes, Wambsganss said transparency in government finances and placing guardrails on data centers would be a priority for her in the Legislature
Meanwhile, Rehmet’s has come under fire for his donations to prominent Democrats, including small monthly donations totaling about $30 in donations to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made last year, according to Federal Election Commission records.
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Jeremy Bradford, a Tarrant County Republican strategist who supports Wambsganss, said those donations show that Rehmet’s political beliefs are more extreme than he lets on.
“That’s as far left as you can get,” Bradford said.
Rehmet said he pays little attention to his critics, rejecting suggestions that his political views are out of step with Texans.
“I’ll make it very clear. I am a capitalist. I’m not a socialist,” he said.
His campaign includes an “affordability agenda” that would reduce property taxes by dedicating more state money to public education, calls for an end to large healthcare premium hikes and create prohibitions on dynamic and AI pricing in grocery stores, health insurance and housing.
Early voting starts Monday and runs through Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3.