Democrats Win Special Election Seat In A District Trump Won By 13 Points In 2024

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Hopefully, this is not a sign of what’s to come in the midterms.

In a special election for a state House seat in Louisiana, a Democrat pulled off a sizeable win over the Republican candidate.

The special election occurred in a district that President Trump has won in every general election.

CBS News had the full scoop on the win and explained why the election didn’t reflect the general election, where Trump won the district:

Louisiana Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez defeated her Republican opponent by double digits in the jungle primary special election Saturday night for a state House seat in a district President Trump won by 13 points in 2024.

Martinez won 62% of the vote compared to 38% for her Republican opponent, Brad Daigle, according to unofficial results from the Louisiana Secretary of State.

The special election was held after its former state representative, a Democrat, was appointed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry to be a commissioner for the state’s Department of Alcohol & Tobacco.

Martinez’s win is not a flip since Democrats already held the seat, but Republicans had seen it as a prime pickup opportunity since Mr. Trump won the district three times. Her win was a 37-point swing from the 2024 results, although the district has voted for Democrats at the state and local levels previously.

Martinez was outspent by Republicans 3 to 1:

Martinez’s win comes just days after a Democrat in Texas won a state senate seat in a special election in Texas.

CNN reported more on the story and how it might reflect the midterms:

A Democratic win in a special election in solidly red Texas is sparking a new wave of warnings from Republicans on Capitol Hill about finetuning messaging and revving up turnout heading into the midterm elections.

“It should be a warning, and I think we’ve got to respond,” said Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, adding President Donald Trump won on border and inflation issues and “if we were to focus on that and still focus on that, I think we’d be a lot better off.”

Nine months until the November elections, Republican angst over a double-digit Democratic victory in a state Senate district Trump won by 17 points in 2024 is settling in from Texas to the nation’s capital.

“It should be a wake-up call because I think most Republicans are satisfied with what the Trump administration has done. His numbers amongst Republicans are good, but they’re going to have to come out and vote and I think that’ll help change the election environment,” said Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma.

“But hey, no doubt about it, minority parties win off-year elections most times,” Cole added. “Republicans ought to understand it’s going to take an exceptional effort to hold the majority.”

The win Saturday by Democrat Taylor Rehmet in the Fort Worth-area district is the latest in a string of special election triumphs by the party since the start of Trump’s second term. Rehmet, a union president and veteran, defeated Trump-endorsed candidate Leigh Wambsganss by 14 points – representing a roughly 31-point swing from Trump’s 2024 margin.

“The problem is bigger than they think it is,” Rehmet said of Republicans Monday during an appearance with CNN’s Erin Burnett. “Because working folks have been left behind, and we need to start finding creative ways to lower costs and help folks out in this economy.”

Are Republicans in trouble in the upcoming midterms?

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