Democrat Taylor Rehmet secured a stunning upset on Saturday for a Texas state Senate seat in a district Republicans typically control. “Rehmet, a labor union leader and Air Force veteran, defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist, in the Fort Worth-area district,” Fox News reports. Rehmet pulled off a shocking double-digit victory, defeating Wambsganss 57-43. President Trump won the district by 17 points in the 2024 election. BLUE SHOCK: Democrat Taylor Rehmet flips reliably Republican state Senate seat by 14+ points in Fort Worth-area district Trump won by 17 in 2024. https://t.co/dj4Lyv8XUe — Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) February 1, 2026 Retired journalist Scott Gordon called the victory a “political earthquake.” POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE in Tarrant County, Texas, the biggest red county in the country. Democrat Taylor Rehmet beats Republican Leigh Wambsganss in state senate district that Trump carried in 2024 by 17 points. The district hasn’t voted Democratic in half a century. pic.twitter.com/FRPpfMVO7d — ScottGordon (@ScottGordonDFW) February 1, 2026 Fox News explained further: The result marked another strong showing for Democrats in special elections this cycle, fueling party claims that voters are pushing back against Republicans during President Donald Trump’s second term. Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin called the outcome “a warning sign to Republicans across the country.” The seat opened after longtime GOP Sen. Kelly Hancock resigned to take a statewide post. Republicans had held the district for decades, and Hancock won four terms with little opposition. The district is even more Republican than its home county of Tarrant. Trump won the county by five points in 2024, but carried the district with a 17-point victory. Trump weighed in on the race Saturday, urging voters to back Wambsganss on social media and praising her as a strong supporter of the MAGA movement. Rehmet, however, benefited from heavy national Democratic backing, including support from the DNC and veterans group VoteVets, which said it spent about $500,000 on advertising. Rehmet, who works as a machinist, campaigned on lowering costs, protecting jobs and supporting public education. “Last night, we made history. Our people-powered campaign showed what’s possible when we focus on the issues that matter to working families,” Rehmet said. “Neighbors from across the political spectrum came together to demand a government that works for all Texans. And I’m ready to get to work,” he added. Last night, we made history. Our people-powered campaign showed what’s possible when we focus on the issues that matter to working families. Neighbors from across the political spectrum came together to demand a government that works for all Texans. And I'm ready to get to… pic.twitter.com/JVVaCbZ2Ny — Taylor Rehmet (@TaylorRehmetTX) February 1, 2026 More from The New York Times: Ms. Wambsganss, a first-time political candidate and a longtime conservative activist, had helped propel a social conservative takeover of several school boards in and around the district in 2022. But last year, more moderate candidates ousted many social conservatives from the boards, suggesting an emerging backlash. Democrats quickly seized on Mr. Rehmet’s victory as a sign of their growing strength even in deeply red areas of the country. “In a Trump +17 district, Republicans had to go all out and still lost this race,” Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement. “Tonight’s results prove that no Republican seat is safe.” Some Republicans also saw it as a warning about the future. “November was always going to be a real battle but tonight should hopefully remind us all that we will be fighting against a force that believes they have to win,” Luke Macias, a conservative activist and Texas political consultant, said in a social media post. Mr. Rehmet, a machinist at a Lockheed Martin fighter jet plant in Fort Worth, said in an interview with The New York Times during the campaign that he did not like party labels and believed that voters were “really tired of the partisanship.” He made his support for public education, including vocational programs, central to his campaign. “This win goes to everyday working people,” Mr. Rehmet told supporters on Saturday night. “We will see you out there.” But he will only be in office through the end of the year, serving out the remainder of the term after State Senator Kelly Hancock stepped down to become the acting state comptroller. Both Mr. Rehmet and Ms. Wambsganss are registered to run in the 2026 election, setting up a rematch for November.