Whoever wins Jan. 31 will be up for reelection later that year \u2014 first in the May 2026 primaries, then in the November 2026 midterms. The special election winner is to serve the last 11 months of Kelly Hancock<\/a>\u2019s term, after the former senator resigned to become acting state comptroller<\/a>.<\/p>\n Early voting begins Jan. 21. When it\u2019s available, information on where and how to vote will be on Tarrant County\u2019s election website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rehmet, an Air Force veteran and union organizer, led with 47.57% of early votes, while Wambsganss, chief communications officer for the Patriot Mobile wireless service provider, received 35.94%.<\/p>\n Rehmet\u2019s near-victory was unexpected by many, as the seat has been held by Republicans since 1991. The Democrat\u2019s two Republican opponents, Wambsganss and former Southlake Mayor John Huffman, spent a bulk of their campaigns attacking each other as fake or insincere conservatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rehmet ran a relatively low-budget campaign of about $120,000 raised from July to late October, compared to Wambsganss\u2019 raised budgets of $1.6 million<\/a>. The Democrat\u2019s campaign emphasizes workers\u2019 rights and is funded mostly by unions and small individual donations. Several Democratic lawmakers made donations in the $1,000 range.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you talk with people instead of at them, when you organize block by block instead of begging billionaires for checks, when you fight like hell for working families because you are one, this is what happens,\u201d Rehmet said in a statement after the election results.<\/p>\n Wambsganss, who described herself as \u201cultra-MAGA\u201d and is running on issues including tax cuts and gun rights, has a campaign largely bankrolled by Republican billionaires.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe conservative voters of SD9 have spoken clearly and distinctly. They want to send a conservative patriot to Austin to represent them,\u201d Wambsganss said in an election night statement.<\/p>\n Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @shawlings601<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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