All optics? Democrats claim 'historic victory' flipping deep-red Texas Senate district — but here's what they omit



Democratic allies and legacy media outlets are celebrating Taylor Rehmet's victory in Texas Senate District 9's special runoff as a historic upset for Republicans — but they fail to note that Rehmet will likely never even cast a vote unless he wins again later this year.

Mark Lucas, the founder of Veteran Action, stated that a progressive political action committee funded by George Soros spent $500,000 to flip the Texas Senate race in a district where President Donald Trump secured a 17-point victory.

'The Democrats were energized. Too many Republicans stayed home.'

"My org @VeteranAction is incredibly important to counter the left's attempt to chip away at the veteran vote — something the GOP cannot afford to take for granted," Lucas wrote. "Meanwhile, the radical left is investing heavily to recruit veteran candidates to retake the House in 2026. They will quickly impeach Trump and obstruct our AMERICA FIRST agenda."

George Soros' Open Society Foundations provided $2.58 million in grants to VoteVets Action Fund from 2019 to 2024, according to the foundation's website. The grants included support for the organization's advocacy of "progressive, diplomacy-first foreign policy," "congressional war powers," and "preventing executive abuse."

On January 31, VoteVets announced in a post on X that it was proud to have endorsed and financially supported Rehmet with "over $500K" in an independent expenditure.

Rehmet defeated Republican opponent Leigh Wambsganss, securing a 14-point victory.

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Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images

VoteVets celebrated Rehmet's victory in flipping the district blue in the special runoff election, noting that a Democrat had not been elected in decades.

Legacy media outlets and Rehmet's Democratic supporters have portrayed the election as a massive political upset for Republicans.

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Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

Despite the substantial funds the Democrats invested in the race, it seems these efforts were primarily for show, as the seat will be contested again in November 2026 for a full four-year term. Further, the Republicans in the Texas Senate hold a solid majority, and the legislature is not in session until January 2027.

The Texas Scorecard noted that the special election runoff saw low turnout, with just under 95,000 ballots cast, representing roughly 15% of all registered voters.

Rehmet and Wambsganss are expected to run against one another again in the November election.

Wambsganss called the January 31 election results "a wakeup call for Republicans in Tarrant County, Texas, and the nation."

"The Democrats were energized. Too many Republicans stayed home. ... Mr. Rehmet and I will face each other again in November, and I fully expect the results to be different," she stated. "The dynamics of a Special Election are fundamentally different from a November General Election."

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MAGA Republican defeats Nashville-hating Democrat in special election



The Republican candidate has prevailed in the special election for the 7th congressional district of Tennessee.

With 81% of the vote in, Matt Van Epps, a Trump-endorsed Republican, holds a lead of more than 11,000 votes over radical Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn. CNN and NBC News among other outlets have called the race for Van Epps.

'I hate all of the things that make Nashville.'

Though as of this writing he hasn't yet claimed victory on social media, Van Epps did tweet, "THANK YOU, TENNESSEE," shortly after media began calling the race.

Behn has not commented on social media.

However, she has lately had to answer for some previous comments and behaviors that indicate an erratic temperament and a deep-seated animus for Nashville, the city she was running to represent in Congress.

"I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville, apparently, an 'it' city to the rest of the country," she said.

In 2019, Behn also stormed into the office of Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, and security had to come in and forcibly remove her, video revealed. She then began kicking, screaming, and sobbing on the floor.

By contrast, President Trump described Van Epps as a "phenomenal Candidate" and a "MAGA Warrior" in a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning.

RELATED: Trump torches Nashville-hating Democrat for string of scandals: 'How the hell can you elect a person like that?'

Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images

The special election was held on Tuesday to replace former Republican Rep. Mark Green, who abruptly retired in June after helping pass Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Green said he planned to pursue a private sector opportunity that was "too exciting to pass up."

By holding the seat, Republicans will keep a 220-213 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, though Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has already announced she plans to resign in January. Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill also stepped down from her seat after winning the New Jersey gubernatorial election last month.

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Trump torches Nashville-hating Democrat for string of scandals: 'How the hell can you elect a person like that?'



President Donald Trump is weighing in ahead of a high-stakes special election in Tennessee.

Constituents in Tennessee's 7th congressional district will cast their last votes on Tuesday to replace retired Republican Rep. Mark Green, choosing between Trump-endorsed Matt Van Epps and scandal-ridden Democrat Aftyn Behn.

'She hates Christianity. ... She hates country music.'

"Matt Van Epps, he's a winner," Trump said over the phone during a rally with Speaker Mike Johnson. "He's going to be great. Don't let this stuff fool you. The Democrats are spending a fortune."

Apart from party affiliation and policy platform, Trump pointed to two main reasons why Tennesseans should turn their backs on Behn.

RELATED: It gets worse for Nashville Democrat who 'hates' her own city: 'Burning down a police station is justified'

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

"She said two things above all else that bothered me," Trump said.

"Number one, she hates Christianity. Number two, she hates country music," Trump said. "How the hell can you elect a person like that?"

Trump is referring to just some of Behn's many scandals that have plagued the Democrat's campaign, including a number of notorious comments and erratic displays. Behn infamously expressed her hatred for Nashville, the very city she is running to represent, and in at least one instance refused to walk it back.

"I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville, apparently, an 'it' city to the rest of the country," Behn said. "But I hate it."

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On a separate occasion, Behn was confronted for past tweets condoning the burning down of police stations during the 2020 riots, which she also failed to apologize for.

One of these tweets read, "Good morning, especially to the 54% of Americans that believe burning down a police station is justified."

If Behn's past podcast episodes or deleted tweets didn't come back to haunt her enough, another video resurfaced showing the Democrat state legislator storming into Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's office in 2019 before being forcibly removed by security. This video put Behn's capacity to govern on full display, showing her kicking, screaming, and later sobbing on the floor as she was removed by Lee's security.

Blaze News reached out to Behn's campaign for comment.

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Radicals Rush To Back ‘The AOC Of Tennessee’ In Special Congressional Election

Nashville leftist Aftyn Behn is up against Republican Matt Van Epps in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District contest early next month.

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