{"id":545943,"date":"2026-01-27T03:41:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T03:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/545943\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T03:41:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T03:41:10","slug":"republican-budget-tops-2-5m-in-race-for-texas-senate-district-9-records-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/545943\/","title":{"rendered":"Republican budget tops $2.5M in race for Texas Senate District 9, records show"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"&quot;byline&quot;\">by Drew Shaw, Fort Worth Report <br \/>January 26, 2026<\/p>\n<p>The candidates for Texas Senate District 9 continued seeing vastly different budgets and backing as they campaigned ahead of the Jan. 31 runoff election, according to their most recent campaign finance reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The latest filings show what Democrat <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taylorfortx.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Taylor Rehmet<\/a> and Republican <a href=\"https:\/\/leighfortexas.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leigh Wambsganss<\/a> raised and spent between Oct. 25 and Jan. 21, after they split the majority vote in the Nov. 4 election. The high-profile special election to fill the state Senate seat, which represents much of Tarrant County, is largely ceremonial, as whoever wins on Jan. 31 will have to immediately seek reelection in November.<\/p>\n<p>Election Day is Saturday and the last day to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=FWR+early+voting&amp;rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS1178US1179&amp;oq=FWR+early+voting&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORigATIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRirAtIBCDI1MzNqMGo3qAIAsAIA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vote early<\/a> is Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Tarrant County residents can check if they live in <a href=\"https:\/\/wrm.capitol.texas.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Senate District 9 here<\/a>. Voter registration status and sample ballots may be found at <a href=\"http:\/\/vote411.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vote411.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/27351238\/embed#?secret=XsniF5gdDJ\" data-secret=\"XsniF5gdDJ\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"700\"><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p>Wambsganss, a Southlake Republican and chief communications officer of Patriot Mobile, reported raising $893,010 for her already high-dollar campaign mostly bankrolled by political action entities, or PACs. That puts her total raised at over $2.5 million.<\/p>\n<p>Wambsganss\u2019 newest funds come from about 217 donors, who contributed an average check size of $3,705.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/27351051\/embed#?secret=jRN1nmUM4n\" data-secret=\"jRN1nmUM4n\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"700\"><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p>Rehmet, a Fort Worth Democrat and machinist union leader, nearly tripled the size of his relatively small-dollar campaign, but still saw mostly individual donors. He raised $255,360 over the latest campaign finance periods, bringing his total donations to $380,626, not including in-kind services.<\/p>\n<p>The latest funds came from about 1,860 donors, who contributed average check sizes of $116. Contributions of $500 or less composed 48% of the funds raised.<\/p>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/27351022\/embed#?secret=CX9nwhCGcc\" data-secret=\"CX9nwhCGcc\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"700\"><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m proud to highlight that we haven\u2019t taken a dime of corporate special-interest money,\u201d Rehmet told the Report in a written statement. \u201cI think that matters. It means that when I\u2019m elected, the only people I\u2019ll be accountable to are the people who live and work in Senate District 9.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wambsganss told the Report in a statement that she\u2019s proud of the support she\u2019s garnered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is a demonstration of the faith and confidence of the voters and their acknowledgement that I will deliver on conservative legislative priorities important to SD9,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/27349552\/embed#?secret=DO0NOFP8Vm\" data-secret=\"DO0NOFP8Vm\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"700\"><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p>The Senate District 9 runoff election was triggered after no <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2025\/11\/05\/tarrant-voters-weigh-2-republicans-1-democrat-for-texas-senate-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">candidate won more than 50% of the vote<\/a> in the Nov. 4 election. In that race, Rehmet came about 3,000 votes shy of an outright win, as Wambsganss split the GOP vote with a third opponent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Wambsganss sees large donations from GOP, business PACs<\/p>\n<p>Wambsganss\u2019 largest donations of $350,000 came from the <a href=\"https:\/\/tlrpac.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC<\/a>, a committee that advertises itself as being devoted to cutting wasteful spending in the legal system and politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Before Oct. 25, the PAC donated $200,000 to Wambsganss. The committee is largely bankrolled by billionaires, including real estate tycoon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tortreform.com\/board-of-directors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dick Weekley<\/a> and Hillwood founder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hillwoodurban.com\/leadership\/ross-perot-jr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ross Perot Jr.,<\/a> who individually gave Wambsganss another $10,000.<\/p>\n<p>Wambsganss reported another $150,000 from the Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC, a committee started by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/tim-dunn-farris-wilks-texas-christian-nationalism-dominionism-elections-voting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Republican Texas oil tycoons Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks<\/a> that donated about $450,000 to her last fall.<\/p>\n<p>She also reported receiving $100,000 from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasleadershipfund.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Texas Senate Leadership Fund<\/a>, a PAC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2024\/08\/28\/dan-patrick-texas-senate-pac\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launched by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick<\/a> devoted to \u201cadvancing the goals of the conservative majority in the Texas Senate.\u201d Before Oct. 25, the PAC donated $363,250 to Wambsganss.<\/p>\n<p>Other PAC donors include $10,000 from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transparencyusa.org\/tx\/committee\/centerpoint-energy-incorporated-political-action-committee-17120-mpac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CenterPoint Energy PAC<\/a>, $10,000 from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iaff440.org\/about\/pac-officers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fort Worth Firefighters Committee for Responsible Government<\/a> and $10,000 from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transparencyusa.org\/tx\/committee\/accountable-government-fund-00087392-mpac?e=2020-election-cycle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Accountable Government Fund<\/a>, a PAC entirely funded by billionaire <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/edward-bass\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Edward Bass<\/a>, the owner of Sundance Square who frequently donates to Fort Worth City Council and Tarrant County commissioner campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>Wambsganss also reported receiving $900 worth of services. Her in-kind contributions include $400 for block-walking and $500 for campaign texting.<\/p>\n<p>Rehmet received mostly small donations, some Democratic support<\/p>\n<p>Rehmet\u2019s biggest donor since the Nov. 4 election was Daniel Cocanougher, a Wise County native who made his initial fortune <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmagazine.com\/publications\/d-ceo\/2019\/december\/how-an-investor-in-japanese-anime-came-to-restore-a-golf-course-in-lake-bridgeport\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">investing in the anime \u201cDragon Ball Z<\/a>.\u201d Cocanougher contributed $30,000 to the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Rehmet also reported receiving $11,885.55 from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harrisdemocrats.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Harris County Democratic Party<\/a> and $10,000 from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goiam.org\/mnpl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Machinists Non-Partisan Political League<\/a>. Democratic state politicians, including U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, state Reps. Chris Turner, Ann Johnson and Ramon Romero Jr.<\/p>\n<p>Apart from cash donations, Rehmet reported receiving $174,408 worth of services.<\/p>\n<p>This included a $141,250 voter turnout program from the <a href=\"https:\/\/texasmajoritypac.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Texas Majority PAC<\/a>, a committee devoted to electing Democrats into office that is <a href=\"http:\/\/transparencyusa.org\/tx\/committee\/texas-majority-pac-00087189-gpac?p=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">significantly funded<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensocietyfoundations.org\/george-soros\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">George Soros<\/a> and the federal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbridgepac.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">American Bridge PAC<\/a>. The committee also gave $2,133 worth of services in the form of dialer and texting efforts.<\/p>\n<p>The state Senate District 9 seat has been red since 1991. It became vacant in June when former Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/directory\/kelly-hancock\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kelly Hancock<\/a> resigned to become <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/06\/19\/kelly-handcock-texas-comptroller-glenn-hegar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">acting state comptroller<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The winner on Jan. 31 will serve the remainder of Hancock\u2019s term, which runs through the end of the year. Candidates have already filed for a prospective rematch in the March primaries.<\/p>\n<p>What is the makeup of the Texas Senate?<\/p>\n<p>The 31-member Texas Senate has 20 Republican seats and 11 Democratic seats.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In November, 16 Senate seats are on the ballot.<\/p>\n<p>Five Republican incumbents, including Hancock, have or will step down from their seats.<\/p>\n<p>Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/01\/26\/republican-budget-tops-2-5m-in-race-for-texas-senate-district-9-records-show\/mailto:drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/shawlings601\">@shawlings601<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/about\/fort-worth-report-editorial-independence-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/01\/26\/republican-budget-tops-2-5m-in-race-for-texas-senate-district-9-records-show\/&#8221;&gt;article&lt;\/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org&#8221;&gt;Fort Worth Report&lt;\/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/&#8221;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;\/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&#8221;https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;quality=80&amp;amp;ssl=1&#8243; style=&#8221;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&#8221;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>&lt;img id=&#8221;republication-tracker-tool-source&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=383769&amp;amp;ga4=2820184429&#8243; style=&#8221;width:1px;height:1px;&#8221;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &#8220;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/01\/26\/republican-budget-tops-2-5m-in-race-for-texas-senate-district-9-records-show\/&#8221;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;\/script&gt; &lt;script id=&#8221;parsely-cfg&#8221; src=&#8221;\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/fortworthreport.org\/p.js&#8221;&gt;&lt;\/script&gt;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Drew Shaw, Fort Worth Report January 26, 2026 The candidates for Texas Senate District 9 continued seeing&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":545944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,11119,8988,90,7371,7372,158221,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-545943","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-campaign-finance","10":"tag-election","11":"tag-elections","12":"tag-fort-worth","13":"tag-fortworth","14":"tag-senate-district-9","15":"tag-texas","16":"tag-tx","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115964994163663046","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}