Taylor Rehmet, Leigh Wambsganss headed to runoff in Senate District 9
Democrat Taylor Rehmet and Republican Leigh Wambsganss are headed to a runoff in the race to fill the vacant District 9 state Senate seat, with Rehmet winning the most votes overall in the historically red area.
The election featured two Republicans, former Southlake Mayor John Huffman and Wambganss, Patriot Mobile’s chief communications officer, and Rehmet, a Democrat leader of local and state branches of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union.
Rehmet captured 47.6% of votes to Wambsganss’ 36% and Huffman’s 16.5%, according to unofficial results from Tarrant County Elections Administration.
Greeting supporters at an Election Night event at Nickel City in Fort Worth, Rehmet said there’s still work to be done.
“But we know we’re going to win, because we have what it takes to move the needle, and we’re going to keep doing it,” he said.
A warm glow cast over the bar, as campaign signs were displayed on a long table and supporters huddled, their preferred candidate in the leading spot against his election opponents.
The three candidates hope to replace former Sen. Kelly Hancock after he left the Legislature to join the Texas Comptroller’s office. Hancock serves as the state’s acting comptroller.
Whoever ultimately wins the special election will finish out the remainder of Hancock’s term. Each of the candidates has said they plan to run for the seat again in 2026, when they’ll have to win their March primaries to secure a place on the November ballot.
Gov. Greg Abbott hasn’t set a runoff date.
The district covers Northeast Tarrant County, including much of Fort Worth, and suburban cities Southlake, Keller and North Richland Hills, where Wambsganss held her election night event.
Wambsganss supporters crowded around her for photo ops at Niki’s Italian Bistro and Piano Bar. Screens displayed the election results, periodically refreshed as onlookers awaited the most recent vote tally.
The race has been marked by barbs between Huffman and Wambsganss, as both try to win over the conservative vote, and flowing money, as billionaires waded into the North Texas election.
Huffman’s campaign was largely financed by billionaire Miriam Adelson, a President Donald Trump donor who, with her family, owns the Dallas Mavericks and casino company Las Vegas Sands. In recent years, Sands has advocated for bringing destination resort-style casinos to Texas.
The Texas Sands PAC donated $700,000 to Huffman between Sept. 26 and Oct. 25, campaign finance records show. That’s in addition to $500,000 donated earlier in the election cycle. The Sands and Adelson funded Texas Defense PAC has also spent about $2 million working to get Huffman elected.
Wambsganss’ major donors include the Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC, which is financially backed by West Texas oilman and GOP donor Tim Dunn. The group donated nearly $156,000 combined between Sept. 26 and Oct. 25 in direct donations and in-kind donations— contributions of goods and services like campaign events and messaging. The group donated an additional $300,000 in direct and in-kind contributions earlier this year.
Wambsganss has also received more than $463,000 in direct and in-kind contributions from the Texas Senate Leadership Fund in recent weeks. The political action committee was started by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to “to advance the goals of the conservative majority in the Texas Senate,” according to its website.
As they entered the final stretch of the campaigns, Huffman had the most cash on hand — nearly $349,000.
Seemingly advancing to a runoff, Wambsganss’ campaign issued a news release a little after 10 p.m.: “Wambsganss Trounces Huffman,” the subject line declared.
“This is a Texas victory, and it’s a victory for the grassroots,” Wambsganss said in a speech Tuesday night. “And it is a message to out of state interests that think they can buy Texas that Texas is not for sale.”
Wambsganss has drawn the endorsements of prominent Republicans, from Patrick and Sen. Ted Cruz to Trump, who called Wambsganss an “American First Patriot” as he encouraged voters to support her. The endorsement was predominately displayed on backdrop of Wambsganss’ remarks.
She bills herself as a grassroots activist, ready to head to Austin.
Meanwhile, Huffman boasted his experience as Southlake’s mayor with a “battle-tested record of delivering conservative results,” as he tries to win over North Texas voters. A spokesperson did not immediately return an interview request Tuesday night.
In a post on X Wednesday morning, Huffman acknowledged that the election did not pan out as hoped. Huffman said that “while our campaign has come to an end, our commitment to public service and conservative leadership remains the same.”
Huffman has previously said he plans to run in the March primary, win or lose in the special election, but a spokesperson did not respond to a Wednesday morning text asking about his plans.
“One thing is clear — Democrats had a strong night both nationally and here at home,” Huffman said in the social media post. “If we are going to keep Texas strong, Republicans must stay focused on what matters most: doing everything we can to improve the lives of the families and business of the folks we were elected to serve.”
Rehmet pitched himself as the candidate for the working person — a Democrat capable of bipartisanship who will work for good paying jobs, affordable housing and public education.
“This is just one step closer to fighting for working Texans, which would be my ultimate privilege and honor to be able to do,” Rehmet said in a Tuesday interview.
The district has long had Republican representation. Trump won 58% of votes in the district in the 2024 presidential election, according to Texas Legislative Council data.
Asked why he thought he was out ahead, Rehmet said he doesn’t like to speculate.
“Maybe people can see how much of an honest person I am,” he said. “I come from a humble background, and I never forget where I came from. So, I really believe that people can see through all the polish and all the fancy money behind certain politicians, because what matters whenever it comes to representation is, does this person have the integrity needed? Does the person have the drive?”
To win over enough voters in a runoff, Rehmet said he’ll continue to focus on the working Texan.
“My strategy is helping up Texans,” he said. “That’s a winning strategy in my book.”
Heading into a runoff, Wambsganss said Republicans must be united.
“This is a time when Republicans need to come together and make sure that we fight to keep Texas red,” she said in an interview Tuesday night.
Her message to voters remains the same, Wambsganss said.
“I’m there to fight for faith, family and freedom, just like the over three decades that I’ve spent my life doing for Texas and for conservative values,” she said.
The candidates are in for a long road. Tuesday’s election is the first of at least three more to come, including the looming runoff .
“We’re very happy, but we also know this is just the first step in the victory,” Wambsganss said. “We’ve got a runoff. We’ve got a primary, and a year from now, we’ve got another general. And when we committed to this race, we knew what we were signing up for. We knew it was going to be a lot of hard work for a long time.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 7:05 PM.
