President Donald Trump denied his involvement in a Texas special election after a major Democratic win in Texas flipped a deep red seat blue.
Since November 2025, Democrats have gained significant wins in elections, putting Republicans on edge with midterm elections on the horizon this fall, wrote MS NOW's Steve Benen, producer of “The Rachel Maddow Show," in an analysis post published Monday.
Trump has apparently attempted to distance himself from his own failures, Benen explained. Despite his public attempt to push voters to support the Republican candidate, he denied having any part in the loss.
Now the shock in the Fort Worth, Texas, seat has left Republicans super anxious, according to reports.
"On paper, this outcome seemed wholly implausible. Donald Trump won this district by 17 points in the 2024 elections; Wambsganss heavily outspent Rehmet; the district hasn’t been competitive in three decades; and state GOP leaders, such as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, went all out to help carry Wambsganss across the finish line in one of the nation’s largest Republican counties," Benen wrote.
Taylor Rehmet, an Air Force veteran and union leader, won 57% of the vote in a special election for state Senate District 9, against Republican candidate Leigh Wambsganss.
"The outcome was obviously a difficult one for Wambsganss, the chief communications officer for Patriot Mobile, which describes itself as 'America’s ONLY Christian conservative wireless provider.' But the results were also especially brutal for Donald Trump — though he was eager to pretend otherwise," Benen wrote.
Despite Trump's push and posts on his Truth Social platform, Wambsganss lost by 14 points to Rehmet.
"The Democratic candidate won by double digits anyway," Benen added.
And when Trump was asked about it the next day, he had this to say:
“'I don’t know. I didn’t hear about it,' he replied. 'Somebody ran where?' Reminded of the relevant details, Trump added, 'I’m not involved with that. That’s a local Texas race.'”
But Benen argued that wasn't the actual reality — and the staggering loss was a clear reflection on Trump's presidency.
"He was most definitely involved with that," he wrote.
Reporter: A Democrat won a special election in Texas in an area that you won by 17 pointsTrump: I’m not involved in that. That’s a local race. I don’t know anything about it. I had nothing to do with it.
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— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) February 1, 2026 at 9:45 AM