After Democrat Taylor Rehmet beat the GOP’s Leigh Wambsganss in the January 31 special runoff election for state Senate District 9 , Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called the loss “a wake-up call for Republicans across Texas.” It’s been a common sentiment in the Republican Party in recent days, especially since a Democrat hasn’t won that seat since 1991.
Rehmet’s win was a 31-point swing from President Donald Trump’s victory there less than a year and a half ago—and a 37-point swing from the GOP incumbent’s margin in that district in 2022. What’s more, Wambsganss had 10 times as much money as Rehmet, including large checks from heavyweights like Texans for Lawsuit Reform and right-wing megadonor Tim Dunn’s PAC.
But Brian Mayes, a longtime Republican strategist, saw this coming.
