Republicans in Texas just got a reminder that complacency at the ballot box has consequences.
In a special election that was supposed to be a relatively routine affair, Democrats pulled off an upset that is now reverberating from the state capitol to Washington. What had been a reliably Republican district flipped, handing a win to the Democratic candidate and adding to a disturbing trend for conservatives — from the Lone Star State to the nation’s capital:
Democratic Texas Senate candidate Taylor Rehmet defeated Trump-endorsed Republican Leigh Wambsganss in a Saturday special election for a seat the president won by double digits three times, multiple outlets project.
Rehmet, a union leader and Air Force veteran, won 57.2% of the vote compared to Wambsganss’s 42.8%, with 95% of the vote in, according to The Associated Press (AP).
This wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill Democratic squeaker. The seat in question was one President Donald Trump carried comfortably in 2024 (17 points!), a district that should have been a GOP lock because Republicans have held it for years.
Let’s be clear about what just happened — and why Republicans should be irritated.
Rehmet will only serve through January 2027 to finish out the term. To keep the seat, he’ll have to run again in November 2026. And here’s the kicker: the Texas Legislature barely even meets. Lawmakers sit for just 140 days in odd-numbered years — yes, that’s real — meaning there won’t even be a regular session again until January 2027. So this wasn’t about shaping policy or power this year. It was about not blowing a seat.
And yet, Republicans still managed to sleep through it.
Yes, it was a special election. Yes, GOP voters notoriously underperform in specials. And yes, November 2026 will be a different animal — especially if Democrats run a high-profile progressive like Jasmine Crockett. With a Senate race on the ballot, Republicans will almost certainly show up in force.
But that excuse is getting old.
At some point, conservatives have to stop treating special elections like optional practice rounds. Democrats don’t. They vote every time. They grind. They understand that power is cumulative — that every seat, every margin, every turnout edge matters.
Here’s another jolting reality. The loss comes at a time when Republican control of the U.S. House and state legislative chambers is already hanging by a thread. A shrinking majority means every seat matters — and every misstep is magnified. This upset underscores that fact: conservatives can no longer assume red districts will stay red simply because they used to be.
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For GOP lawmakers and activists alike, this should be a wake-up call. Voters are clearly signaling that dissatisfaction with the status quo extends beyond blue states and big cities. Even in conservative territory, Democrats are finding traction by tapping into concerns that Republicans have too often taken for granted: economic anxiety, public safety, and leadership that feels in touch with everyday issues.
They just ran on “affordability” in Virginia and swept the state races. But they’re Democrats, so it didn’t take long for them to reveal – again – who they really are: They are rolling out an new slate of taxes that will apply to everything except breathing (for now):
? JUST IN: Virginia voters are shocked as Democrats roll out a tidal wave of new taxes — from deliveries to cars, gyms, and even pet services.pic.twitter.com/lH9AsPUJe4
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) January 29, 2026
In the words of economist Stephen Moore, “Q4 growth nearly 5.5%, inflation down to 2.7%, median family income up $2,500, gas prices low.” People need to hear it and feel it.
Make no mistake: this isn’t a sign of a permanent shift. It’s a warning. Republicans still control the majority, and Texas remains a red state in most respects. What this upset reveals is that political momentum doesn’t happen on auto-pilot — it has to be earned, defended, and energized at every election, no matter how safe a district seems.
In other words, we have to stop ignoring these special elections and treat all elections like the country’s hanging in the balance. Because it is.
If GOP leaders ignore the message from this special election, they’re choosing to learn the same lesson the hard way many times over. And let’s be real: No one in the GOP wants to see a Speaker Jeffries.
