Despite Trump’s past three victories in the district, the local seat was held by a Democrat before Martinez. Former state Rep. Chad Brown vacated the seat to fulfill an appointment made by Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA) at the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control.

HUGO GURDON: AMERICAN DECLINE, OR A REBOUND?

While the special election has no effect at the national level, its results are good news for Democrats as they aim to wrest control of the House from Republicans in this year’s midterm elections.

Other state-level races have seen similarly big swings in favor of Democrats.

Rehmet in Texas

In Texas last weekend, Democrat Taylor Rehmet won the special election for Texas Senate District 9 in the Fort Worth area by outperforming Trump-endorsed Republican candidate Leigh Wambsganss. Rehmet won by 14 points compared to Trump’s 17 points — a 31-point swing in just 15 months.

The results were also notable not only because of Trump’s sweeping win there but because the district was previously held by a Republican. Texas Senate District 9 has historically been a red stronghold, but that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore after Rehmet’s upset victory.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin personally boasted about the outcome of that particular election.

“It’s clear as day that this disastrous Republican agenda is hurting working families in Texas and across the country, which is why voters in red, blue, and purple districts are putting their faith in candidates like Taylor Rehmet,” Martin said. “This victory is a warning sign to Republicans across the country. In a Trump +17 district, Republicans had to go all out and still lost this race.”

KID ROCK HEADLINING TURNING POINT USA’S ALTERNATIVE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW

Meanwhile, Trump said he was not involved in the race despite his endorsement of Wambsganss. Although hopeful, other Republicans did not follow the president’s lead in downplaying their loss.

“Low turnout special elections are always unpredictable. The results from SD 9 are a wake-up call for Republicans across Texas. Our voters cannot take anything for granted,” Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said on X. “I know the energy and strength the Republican grassroots in Texas possess. We will come out fighting with a new resolve, and we will take this seat back in November. We will keep Texas red.”

Hardman in Iowa

Iowa state Sen. Renee Hardman’s performance in a December special election for Iowa Senate District 16 was also significant because it blocked Republicans from regaining a two-thirds supermajority in the state’s upper chamber. Iowa Republicans now need at least one Democratic vote to confirm Gov. Kim Reynolds’s (R-IA) nominees to state agencies, boards, and commissions.

Hardman’s win was decisive, landing roughly 43 points over Republican Lucas Loftin once all the votes were counted.

The DNC congratulated Hardman on her “historic” win as the first black woman ever elected to the Iowa Senate while celebrating 2025 as the “year of Democratic victories and overperformance.”

Now represented by Hardman, the district saw former Vice President Kamala Harris hold a 17-point lead over Trump in 2024. Nonetheless, Trump still won Iowa overall by a 13-point margin.

Clemons in Kentucky

Earlier in December, Kentucky Democratic state Sen. Gary Clemons had a 47-point landslide victory over Republican Calvin Leach in the Kentucky Senate District 37 — one that Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) heralded as a sign of overperformance for Democrats.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee similarly hailed Clemons’s performance in the race at the time as signaling “momentum” for the party heading into the midterm elections.

TRUMP AND GOP FACE ‘WAKE-UP CALL’ OVER TEXAS STATE SENATE ELECTION LOSS

Clemons also notably outperformed the top of the party’s 2024 ticket held by Harris by 42 points, according to the DNC.

Though the seat was previously held by a Democrat before Clemons, it is just one of seven controlled by Democrats in the 38-seat Kentucky Senate. Republicans have a controlling supermajority in both chambers of the state legislature. Democrats are looking to make gains at the state level this year, as all 100 seats in the Kentucky House and 19 seats in the Kentucky Senate are up for grabs.

IBERVILLE PARISH, La. (WAFB) – Democrat Chastity Verret Martinez has won the special election for the Louisiana House District 60 seat, according to unofficial results from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office.

According to the Louisiana Secretary of State website, Martinez defeated Republican Brad Daigle, receiving 62% of the vote. Daigle received about 38%.

The special election was held on Saturday, Feb. 7, with voting taking place in Iberville Parish and Assumption Parish.

The District 60 seat opened after former State Rep. Chad Brown was appointed by Gov. Jeff Landry to serve as Louisiana’s commissioner of Alcohol and Tobacco Control.

Martinez currently serves as a member of the Iberville Parish Council. Daigle is an insurance agent. A third candidate, Democrat Raheem Pierce, withdrew from the race earlier in the election cycle.

With the win, Martinez will represent District 60 in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Click here to report a typo. Please include the headline.

Click here to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.

Watch the latest WAFB news and weather now.

Copyright 2026 WAFB. All rights reserved.