Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez Holds Louisiana Trump+13 House Seat With 37‑Point Swing
Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez won a Feb. 2026 Louisiana state House special election, defeating Republican Brad Daigle 62%–38% in a district President Trump carried by 13 points in 2024 — roughly a 37‑point swing — despite Republicans outspending her about 3‑to‑1. Republicans had targeted the vacancy after the previous Democratic incumbent was appointed to a state commission, but Democrats held the seat; observers and the DLCC framed the result as part of a broader pattern of Democratic overperformance in specials (eight GOP-held legislative flips since Trump returned to the White House) while Republicans have recorded none.
📌 Key Facts
- Louisiana Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez won a Feb. 2026 special election for a state House seat, defeating Republican Brad Daigle 62%–38% (a 24‑point margin).
- President Trump carried the district by 13 points in 2024; Martinez’s 24‑point win represents roughly a 37‑point swing from the 2024 presidential result (Trump+13 → Martinez+24).
- Republicans outspent Martinez by about 3‑to‑1 in the special election, and GOP operatives had targeted the vacancy as a prime pickup opportunity after Gov. Jeff Landry (R) appointed the prior Democratic incumbent to a state commission (Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control), creating the vacancy.
- The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) said the GOP ‘squandered’ a prime flip opportunity when Democrats held the seat.
- The Louisiana result is part of a broader pattern: since Trump returned to the White House Democrats have flipped eight previously GOP‑held state legislative districts in special elections (and picked up additional seats in recent New Jersey and Virginia elections), while Republicans have yet to notch a special‑election legislative pickup in his second term.
- Commentary linking the outcomes suggests Republicans are hampered by being tethered to an unpopular president, facing more retirements and backlash to core agenda items, contributing to repeated special‑election underperformance.
- Separately, Fox News reported in a different special election in Texas that nearly all votes were counted with the Democrat (Rehmet) leading by more than 14 points; that piece also noted Trump personally urged voters to back Republican Leigh Wambsganss and that national Democratic groups like VoteVets spent heavily (about $500,000 on advertising in that race), illustrating both national Democratic investment and GOP efforts to respond.
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 09, 2026
8:25 PM
Democrat wins Louisiana special election in district Trump won soundly in 2024
New information:
- CBS presents the result in a national TV news segment, underscoring it as part of a broader pattern but does not add material new numbers beyond what is already known.
- Confirms again that President Trump carried the district by 13 points in 2024 and that Martinez won the special by double digits.
2:08 PM
Democrats overperform in another special election, deny the GOP a pickup opportunity
New information:
- Confirms Martinez’s vote share as 62% to Republican Brad Daigle’s 38%, characterizing the win as a 24‑point margin in this article (prior coverage framed it as a 37‑point swing relative to Trump’s 2024 margin).
- Clarifies that Republicans explicitly viewed the vacancy, created when a Democratic incumbent became Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control commissioner, as a prime pickup opportunity in a Trump+13 district.
- Situates the Louisiana result within a broader national pattern: since Trump returned to the White House, Democrats have picked up eight Republican‑held districts in specials and 18 seats in New Jersey and Virginia regular elections, while Republicans have flipped none.
- Links the outcome to Trump’s broader political standing: suggests Republicans are tethered to an unpopular president, facing more retirements and backlash to core agenda items, contributing to repeated special‑election underperformance.
February 08, 2026
2:15 PM
Democrat wins Louisiana state House special seat in district Trump won
New information:
- Louisiana Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez won a Feb. 2026 special election for a state House seat 62%–38% over Republican Brad Daigle in a district Trump carried by 13 points in 2024.
- The win represents roughly a 37‑point swing from the 2024 presidential result and came despite Republicans outspending Martinez by about 3‑to‑1.
- Republicans had targeted the seat as a potential pickup after GOP Gov. Jeff Landry appointed the previous Democratic incumbent to a state commission, but Democrats held it and the DLCC says the GOP 'squandered' a prime flip opportunity.
- Democrats have now flipped eight previously GOP‑held state legislative districts in special elections since Trump took office, while Republicans have yet to notch a single special‑election legislative pickup in his second term.
February 01, 2026
12:24 PM
Dems score big in typically red Texas district that Trump easily won in 2024
New information:
- Confirms that nearly all votes are counted and Rehmet leads by more than 14 percentage points.
- Specifies that Trump personally weighed in on the race on election day, urging voters on social media to back Republican Leigh Wambsganss.
- Details that VoteVets alone spent about $500,000 on advertising to support Rehmet, illustrating the scale of national Democratic investment.