US Democrats rejoice over victory in Texas Senate special election They argue this reflects growing dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s policies. US midterm elections.
Some commentators have described the Democrats’ upset victory in Texas as a “political earthquake,” but President Trump has dismissed the race as a “local” one.
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In Saturday’s election, Democrat Taylor Lehmet, a union leader, defeated Trump-backed conservative activist Lee Wambsgans, winning 57% of the vote in a November 2024 district that the US president won by 17 points.
This vote will not have any immediate impact. Republicans, who have long dominated Texas politics, still hold a strong majority in the state Senate.
Still, Saturday’s race could signal a major shift in voting trends in Texas and beyond.
“A major political earthquake occurred in Texas tonight as Democrats flipped a state Senate seat from red to blue in a district that Trump won by 17 points,” Democratic strategist Matt McDermott said in a social media post.
“Mr. Trump intervened, supported the Republican Party, and personally encouraged voter turnout, but suffered a huge loss.”
The election was held to fill the seat of a Republican state senator who resigned as Texas comptroller.
President Trump’s support
On the morning of the election, Trump reiterated his support for Wambsgans.
“I ask all America First Patriots in Texas’ 9th State Senate District to make plans to vote for the phenomenal candidate Lee Wambsgans on Election Day, Saturday, January 31st,” the president wrote on his Truth social platform.
He called Wambsgans a “warrior” of the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement. But once the results came in, the US president distanced himself from the vote.
“I’m not involved. It’s a local election in Texas,” he told reporters Sunday, stressing that he was not on the ballot.
However, the US president will not participate in the November midterm vote. And that will determine the leadership of Congress.
If Democrats regain control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, they could thwart President Trump’s policies and prevent any legislation from passing.
How much should we read into the Texas results?
Opposition parties generally do well in special elections before the U.S. midterm elections, capitalizing on the anger of their supporters.
In 2021, when Democrat Joe Biden was the president of the United States, voters in Virginia, which Democrats won by a 10 percentage point margin in 2020, elected a Republican governor.
Similarly, Democrats won a Senate seat in deeply conservative Alabama in 2017, Trump’s first year in office.
But the swing in the Texas Senate race (more than 30 percentage points from the 2024 election) is noteworthy.
The district covers Fort Worth near Dallas and other parts of Tarrant County, a traditional Republican stronghold.
Republicans also poured nearly $2.5 million into the race, significantly outspending Mr. Rehmet and his Democratic allies, according to local reports.
“Morning call”
The election comes at a time when President Trump’s popularity is declining. His approval rating has fallen to 37% amid chaotic immigration enforcement and an economy that is showing signs of slowing, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll.
Mr. Lehmet dedicated his victory to the workers. “We have to keep our energy up. There’s still a lot of work to do,” he said after the results.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin also called out workers in a statement congratulating Lehmet on his victory.
“It’s clear every day that these disastrous Republican policies are hurting working families in Texas and across the country, which is why voters in red, blue, and purple districts have confidence in candidates like Taylor Lemet,” Martin said.
“This over-the-top performance is a warning to Republicans across the country.”
The defeated Republican candidate, Wambsgans, also said the result was a “wake-up call” for the party, but she was referring to voter mobilization rather than policy changes.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, an ally of Wambusgans, echoed that assessment. “Our voters cannot take anything for granted,” he wrote to X.
Democrats have been trying to make inroads in Texas for years. This state is the second largest state in the United States by population. Without 40 votes in the Electoral College, it will be difficult for Republicans to win the presidential election.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat who is among the Texas Democrats seeking to unseat Republican Sen. John Cornyn in November, used Mr. Lehmet’s victory to raise her own chances.
“Don’t tell me what we can’t do in Texas. Things will change if we say #TexasTough,” she wrote in a social media post with a photo of herself with Rehmet.
Essentially, the Texas Senate results present red flags for Trump and the Republican Party. At the same time, the results are consistent with the historical trend of American voters supporting opposition parties in special elections.
November’s midterm elections will be the ultimate litmus test for the political landscape in Texas and the nation as a whole.
