There’s a good reason for Republicans to be worried. It\u2019s not just that Democrats are winning competitive special elections \u2014\u00a0it is where they are winning them.<\/p>\n
In Louisiana, Democrat Chastity\u00a0Verrett Martinez won a February special election\u00a0for a statehouse district\u00a0that had gone 13 points in favor of President Donald Trump in 2024.<\/p>\n
In Georgia, Democrat Eric\u00a0Gisler in December flipped a statehouse district that Trump had carried by more than 12 points in 2024.<\/p>\n
In Mississippi in November, Democrat Justin\u00a0Crosby knocked out incumbent Republican state Rep. Jon Ray Lancaster.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not a fluke. The Democratic National Committee says the party has now flipped 30 seats in state legislatures nationwide since Trump took office. Republicans have not flipped a single Democrat held legislative seat in that time.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, the\u00a0DNC says Democrats have now won or\u00a0overperformed in almost 90% of key state and local races nationwide\u00a0during Trump’s second term. That includes this past week, when Republicans won the vacant congressional seat in Georgia that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had held, but with a 12 point\u00a0margin of victory. Trump had carried the same district in 2024 by\u00a0a whopping 37 percentage points.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all an ominous sign for the Republicans, who know very well they face an uphill battle during the midterms in 2026. Historically, Republican presidents have, on average, seen 22 seats in the U.S. House flip during their midterms. Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters said in an exclusive interview with the Texas Take<\/a> that the\u00a0party is raising big money and building a plan to flip a lot of the special election losses back in their favor come November.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we have an incredible opportunity to defy history,\u201d\u00a0Gruters said.<\/p>\n But Texas\u00a0Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who runs the state Senate, is concerned that if Republicans don\u2019t get unified fast after the runoff elections are over in May, Democrats will pick up seats in the Texas Legislature.<\/p>\n