Tarrant County’s 2026 elections are poised to be “the most important of our lifetime,” local and state Republican officials said Sunday night after historically red Texas Senate District 9 flipped blue in a runoff election many saw as unwinnable for a Democrat.
The night before, voters elected Democrat Taylor Rehmet, 33, to represent the district that includes most of north and west Tarrant County in the high-profile runoff election that drew national attention. Republicans sought to maintain control of the District 9 seat they’ve held since 1991 while observers noted the race could be an indicator of a “blue wave” in Tarrant.
The political upset places a renewed emphasis on the March 3 primary election, which sees a near-record slate of Democratic candidates seeking Tarrant County offices.
“We cannot afford to lose what is the most important county in the entire country,” Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare told the crowd. “And last night, we got our butts kicked.”
O’Hare was joined at Mercy Culture Church on Feb. 1 by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton; former state senator Don Huffines, who is currently running for the state comptroller’s office; and other GOP candidates.
The county’s top elected official urged attendees to get civically engaged and to elect conservatives, warning that Rehmet’s win would energize voters and financial supporters seeking to elect Democrats in Tarrant County. The event was organized by Mercy Culture’s political nonprofit For Liberty & Justice and was billed as a “night of action.”
“This is the time to stand up and fight, and this is the time that God calls us to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, and that wall is Tarrant County,” O’Hare said.
Rehmet won with about 57% of the vote, according to unofficial returns from the Tarrant County Elections Office.
Paxton urged those gathered to support candidates like O’Hare in the coming elections to hold the line in the county so Republicans maintain control.
“Do not let Tarrant County fall. Do not let Texas fall. Do not let America fall,” Paxton said. “It’s really up to you.”
O’Hare attributed Southlake Republican Leigh Wambsganss’ loss to Rehmet in the runoff to “complacency” among local Republicans. Wambsganss, an executive with the conservative mobile carrier Patriot Mobile, earned about 2,000 fewer votes Saturday than she did in the three-way election in November when the race included another GOP candidate.
Republicans must mobilize before March, the GOP leaders stressed.
Annie Cellar, president of Texas Christian University’s Turning Point USA chapter, felt “more on fire than ever to fight for Texas” after the night concluded, she said. She plans to encourage friends and family to vote for conservative candidates in March.
“It’s crucial because it’s our generation that we’re fighting for — the people that are younger than us, too,” Cellar, 21, said, noting that she was not speaking on behalf of the university’s Turning Point chapter.
Turning Point, which mobilizes college students to become politically active, had a booth during Sunday night’s event.
State Rep. Nate Schatzline, a Mercy Culture Church pastor and founder of its political nonprofit, announced to a crowd of about 100 that he will “oversee pastoral relations for all 50 states” on President Donald Trump’s National Faith Advisory Board, which he joined in October. For Liberty & Justice will partner with the board in an effort to mobilize Christian churches across the country to become politically engaged, Schatzline said.
“We need pastors to speak up about issues that matter to them, and so we’re targeting states across America where we feel like we can win purple seats to be red,” Schatzline told the Fort Worth Report.
In November, a Fort Worth Report investigation detailed Campaign University, an online course Schatzline and Mercy Culture leaders developed to train Christian conservatives to seek public office.
The nonprofit now is seeking to partner with churches across the country to offer the online course, similar to how the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA works across college campuses.
Schatzline said he expects his appointment to Trump’s advisory board will help empower pastors with resources such as Campaign University to lead their congregations in political engagement.
Among the crowd was Fort Worth resident Mark Christensen, 64, who wore a T-shirt supporting Wambsganss. He said he supported the Southlake Republican’s campaign by block walking to about 500 doors to mobilize voters in between the November election and January runoff.
After the Sunday event ended, he felt inspired to continue rallying Republicans to vote for the candidate in November, when Rehmet and Wambsganss will face off again. Both candidates are running unopposed in the March primaries.
“What I’m gonna do is lean in to the Lord to reenergize, and then be ready to do it again,” Christensen told the Fort Worth Report.
Huffines, who is running for Texas comptroller, called on attendees to take initiative to create a new committee or a new organization.
Christian conservatives must get engaged in local government because “the evil ones are going to fight to the death for the state of Texas,” Huffines said, referencing “progressives” and “leftists.”
“When you’re fighting for Tarrant County, you’re fighting for Texas,” Huffines said. “When you’re fighting for Texas, you’re fighting for the world.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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