North Texas, Texas – Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) attributed his party’s loss in a weekend special election for a Texas state Senate seat to severe winter weather, after a Democratic candidate flipped a district Republicans had long controlled. Speaking Monday on CNN News Central, Sessions suggested icy conditions discouraged voters from turning out in the North Texas race.
Democrat Taylor Rehmet defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss by a 14-point margin in the special election for Texas Senate District 9, a seat that had not been held by a Democrat in 45 years. Sessions, who represents parts of central and west Texas in the state’s 17th Congressional District, said a snow and ice storm affected both North and Central Texas just as voters were heading to the polls.
“The success of a rain dance has a lot to do with timing,” Sessions said, arguing that the storm played a decisive role in suppressing Republican turnout. The result was notable given that President Trump carried the district by 17 points in the 2024 presidential election.
The outcome prompted broader discussion among Republicans about what the loss could signal ahead of the midterm elections. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that while special elections can be unpredictable, a swing of this size should not be ignored. Sessions acknowledged the concerns, saying the party needs to reassess its approach on the ground.
Rehmet and Wambsganss are expected to face each other again in November to compete for a full four-year term.
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