High stakes Fort Worth Senate runoff: Union leader vs. MAGA activist
Voters head to the polls starting Wednesday to select the next state senator of an open Fort Worth area seat.
They’ll pick between Taylor Rehmet, a union leader and Democrat who bills himself as a candidate for the working people, and Leigh Wambsganss, a Republican activist with ties to a Christian, conservative cell phone company, who boasts support from President Donald Trump and other GOP headliners.
The first round of the Senate District 9 special election in November was marked by political spars between two Republican candidates, contributions from Republican donor billionaires and an upset when Rehmet got the most votes in what has been a historically red district, pushing the race into a runoff.
The latest contest may have flown under the radar for some North Texas voters. To be fair, voting in January isn’t the norm.
But Jan. 31 runoff election decides the district’s representative for the next year and sets up a November general election rematch between the two candidates, hoping to represent Tarrant County in Austin for a full term.
Early voting starts Jan. 21 and continues through Jan. 27.
The Star-Telegram breaks down how we got here and what voters should know as they prepare to cast their ballots.
The lead up to the Senate District 9 runoff
Former Sen. Kelly Hancock resigned in June from the Texas Senate seat he had held since 2013 to join the Texas Comptroller’s Office where he now serves as acting comptroller. His exit prompted a Nov. 3 special election to complete his Senate term, which ends in January 2027.
Three candidates emerged: Rehmet, Wambsganss and former Southlake Mayor John Huffman, a Republican who was seen as the more moderate GOP pick.
CoRehmet earned 48% of votes — not enough to win the race outright, but enough to put him in the lead of Wambsganss by nearly 12 percentage points in what’s considered a red district. The trend corresponded with Democratic victories across the country in what many saw as a referendum on Trump’s second term.
As the top two vote-getters, Rehmet and Wambsganss advanced to the runoff election, where voters will decide who finishes out the remainder of Hancock’s four-year term.
The Texas Legislature doesn’t gavel in for its next legislative session in Austin until 2027. Unless Gov. Greg Abbott calls a special session before then, the newly-elected senator won’t be voting on new laws over the next year.
Instead, the lawmaker’s job is likely to include helping constituents and attending interim hearings, where testimony is taken and potential policies are studied in preparation the coming session.
Where is Texas Senate District 9?
Texas is made up of 31 Senate districts, including five in Tarrant County. There are 18 Republicans and 11 Democrats in the Senate, with two vacancies — Senate District 9 and Senate District 4, which stretches from north of Houston to the Texas coast.
Senate District 9 encompasses most of northern and western Tarrant County. It includes Blue Mound, Haltom City, Haslet, Hurt, Keller, Lake Worth and Lakeside, North Richland Hills, Pelican Bay, Richland Hills, River Oaks, Saginaw, Sansom Park, Watauga, Westlake, Westover Hills, Westworth Village, White Settlement and nearly all of Southlake.
It also covers parts of Arlington, Azle, Bedford, Benbrook, Briar, Euless, Fort Worth, Pecan Acres and Trophy Club, as well as a tiny portion of Colleyville.
The SD-9 Candidates: Taylor Rehmet and Leigh Wambsganss
Rehmet is an aircraft mechanic, U.S. Air Force veteran and the president of the state and local chapters of the IAM union hoping to flip Senate District 9 blue.
Much of his campaign has centered on kitchen table issues like access to well-paying jobs and affordability. In a Star-Telegram questionnaire returned ahead of the runoff, Rehmet said his policy priorities include fully funding public schools, helping Texans earn a living wage and addressing affordability issues like property taxes, home and rent costs, health insurance rates and the cost of groceries.
“Because this state is strongest when regular people, like you and me, have a voice,” he said in a recent campaign video.
He has the endorsement of several state and local Democrats, such as former Sen. Wendy Davis, Commissioners Roderick Miles and Alisa Simmons and Fort Worth city council members Deborah Peoples, Chris Nettles and Elizabeth Beck.
Rehmet is also backed by former Republican Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitely, who crossed party lines for the endorsement.
Wambsganss is a longtime conservative grassroots activist and the chief communications officer for Grapevine-based Patriot Mobile, which calls itself the nation’s only Christian conservative cell phone provider.
She served as the executive director of its political action committee, Patriot Mobile Action, but resigned from the position to run for office. The group is known for backing conservative candidates, including those running for suburban school boards.
In addition to Trump, she has been endorsed by prominent Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz, Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, as well as the True Texas Project, which began as the NE Tarrant Tea Party in 2009.
Wambsganss is also supported by former White House strategist Steve Bannon and has appeared on his show, War Room. Bannon recently attended a Patriot Mobile sponsored event titled “Save Texas from Radical Islam.”
Wambsganss described herself as a “responsible Republican and experienced professional ready to hit the ground running on day one” in a Jan. 6 video on Facebook.
In her Star-Telegram candidate questionnaire, Wambsganss listed meaningful property tax relief, bail reform and support for law enforcement and firefighters among her policy priorities. Wambsganss also included fully funding education and empowering “parents to do what they believe is right for their kids” as top priorities.
O’Hare cautioned Republican voters that the seat shouldn’t be taken for granted in a Tuesday campaign email.
“Turnout will be extremely low,” O’Hare said. “The Democrats are very motivated! Republicans must show up and vote!”
Voting in the Senate District 9 runoff
Early voting for the Senate District 9 runoff is Jan. 21-27.
The polls will be open from:
- 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Jan. 21-23
- 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. on Jan. 24
- 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. on Jan. 25
- 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Jan. 26-27
A list of early voting locations and Election Day polling places are available on the Tarrant County Elections Administration website. Election Day voting starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m.
The office must receive mail-in ballot applications by Jan. 20. More information about who qualifies and the process is available on the Election Administration site.
Those in Grand Prairie should know that there’s also a Jan. 31 special election to fill a city council vacancy. Early voting in that race started on Jan. 14 and runs through Jan. 27.
Looking ahead to the general election
Voters who aren’t happy with the outcome on Jan. 31 will have the chance to vote for Rehmet or Wambsganss again in the Nov. 3 general election: Both candidates are running for a full four year term in the Texas Senate.
Neither has a primary opponent in March, which means they have a clear path to the ballot for a rematch.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
