U.S. President Donald Trump at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Al Drago
The double-digit victory that Democrat Taylor Rehmet recently enjoyed in a deep red district in Texas is still generating a lot of discussion. In a special election for a Texas State Senate seat in the Fort Worth suburbs, Rehmet defeated Donald Trump-backed Republican Leigh Wambsganss by 14 percent. That district is heavily Republican, as Trump won it by 17 percent in the 2024 presidential election.
MS NOW's Steve Benen, in a column published on February 9, stresses that the Texas election isn't the only major victory that Democrats have pulled off in 2026. From Minnesota to Louisiana, the "Rachel Maddow Show" producer observes, Democrats are overperforming this year.
In two special elections in Minnesota, Benen notes, Democratic candidates "won lopsided victories" and restored "the state House to an even partisan split." Meanwhile, in Louisiana, Benen adds, Republicans were hoping to a flip a seat in the Louisiana State Legislature; instead, Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez defeated Republican Brad Daigle and picked up 62 percent of the vote.
"At first blush," Benen explains, "this might not seem especially notable, since a Democratic candidate won a special election to replace a former Democratic legislator. But the details matter. As The Downballot explained, Trump carried this district by 13 points in the 2024 cycle, fueling GOP hopes about flipping the state House seat. Instead, the Democratic nominee prevailed — by 24 points…. Some will no doubt argue that it's best not to read too much into a state legislative special election held in early February. It's a fair point, to be sure. But what matters is the degree to which the results fit into the broader political landscape."
Benen continues, "Republicans are tied to an unpopular president; a growing number of their congressional members are retiring; key elements of the GOP agenda are facing an intensifying public backlash; and they keep losing special elections, including in contests they expected to win. If party insiders aren’t concerned about their standing ahead of this year's midterm elections, they're not paying close enough attention."
