Republicans get whomped in Texas State Senate special election in red Fort Worth area district

 

Election results:  Ballotpedia

Headline:  The Texas Tribune, 1/30/2026

Alejandro Serrano reports for The Texas Tribune:

Democrat and machinist union leader Taylor Rehmet won the special election Saturday to represent a solidly red Texas Senate district that President Donald Trump carried by 17 points in 2024, a stunning upset that injected a fresh and urgent sense of a panic into the GOP from the Texas Capitol to the White House heading into November’s midterm elections. 

With ballots tallied from all but a handful of voting centers, Rehmet had 57% of the vote, besting the 43% for his GOP opponent, conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss, who vastly outspent Rehmet as Republicans including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick mounted a furious funding push in a bid to tilt the election in their favor in the final days. 

Patrick, the Senate’s powerful presiding officer, had raised alarm bells about the race and urged Republicans to turn out — as did Trump, who posted three separate get-out-the-vote messages on social media in the 48 hours preceding the election.  [emphasis added]

According to Merriam-Webster, the first known use of 'whomp' as a verb occurred in 1942.

Other coinages from the same year include:

1. a-hole
2. blockbuster
3. Christian nationalist
4. catbird seat
5. eat up
6. gung ho
7. screaming meemies

Other panic-inducing GOP special elections:

August-November 2025
Tennessee GOP panics over CD7 special election on December 2nd.  (11/24)

Tennessee 7th congressional district:  Republicans freaking out over another possible special election loss.  (11/17) 

Despite a shrinkage of registered voters, Iowa Democrats have enjoyed a good year in 2025.  (11/12)

Democratic candidate expands margin of victory in deep-blue VIrginia congressional district.  (9/10)

If the Democratic Party brand is in the toilet, where does that put the Republican Party?  (8/2)

January-April 2025

As we have recently learned, a 15-point margin of victory is no longer safe for the GOP.  (4/9)

Democrat Josh Weil cuts GOP margin of victory from 33 to 13.7 percentage points in deep-red Florida congressional district previously represented by Signalgate star performer Michael Waltz.  (4/2)

Democrat Gay Valimont cuts GOP margin of victory from 32 to 14.6 percentage points in deep-red Florida congressional district previously represented by Matt Gaetz.  (4/2)

Wisconsin elections:  What a difference 5 months and the road to authoritarianism makes!  (4/2)

Staying power? In Wisconsin, Donald Trump reveals a limp dick.  (4/2)

Keep an eye out on this special election in Florida.  It will tell us just how toxic Trump/Musk/DOGE has become to voters.  (3/30)

Democrat flips a state senate seat in a deep-red area of Pennsylvania.  (3/26)

Democrat flips state senate seat in increasingly red Iowa.  (1/29)