Election 2025: What to Watch From Other Notable Races

While marquee contests in Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California and New York City dominated national political coverage during the 2025 off-year elections, several pivotal state-level races and ballot measures took place. These included a special election in Texas for a key state Senate seat, an unusually competitive congressional race in Houston and two surprise Democratic victories for statewide regulatory positions in Georgia. These outcomes, while seemingly trivial to national politics, carry important implications for party momentum, voter turnout trends and future policymaking in their respective states. 

Texas 

State Senate District 9: Democrat Advances in Traditionally Republican Suburb 

Texas held a special election in the state’s 9th Senate District to replace Republican Sen. Kelly Hancock, who resigned earlier this year to join the Texas comptroller’s office. The race took place in Tarrant County, a region that has trended away from Republicans but remained red at the statewide level and drew intense scrutiny. 

Three candidates competed: Democrat Taylor Rehmet and Republicans Leigh Wambsganss and Southlake Mayor John Huffman. Rehmet, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, won a plurality of the vote with 48%, while Wambsganss finished second with 36%. Huffman, who ran to the right of Wambsganss, captured 16%. 

As no candidate received a majority, the race will head to a runoff between Rehmet and Wambsganss. Although the district favored Trump by 17 points in 2020, Rehmet’s first-round performance suggests a continued erosion of Republican dominance in affluent suburban districts, a trend that could have broader consequences for the GOP’s legislative control. With Democrats currently holding 12 of 31 seats in the Texas Senate, a Rehmet victory would not flip the chamber but would send a strong signal about suburban competitiveness heading into the 2026 midterms. 

U.S. House District 18: Houston Democrats Headed for Runoff 

Texas also held a special election for the 18th Congressional District, a safe Democratic seat based in Houston, following the passing of longtime Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) earlier this year. The open seat attracted a crowded field of 16 candidates, almost all Democrats, including former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards and current Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee. 

Menefee led the field with approximately 29% of the vote, followed by Edwards at 26%, sending both to a runoff. Although the general election will not see a competitive contest between the GOP and Democrats, this runoff will shape the future leadership and ideological positioning of Houston’s Democratic delegation. Menefee ran as a progressive aligned with local criminal justice reform efforts, while Edwards, who previously ran for the U.S. Senate, has a more moderate profile with strong ties to the business community. 

The winner of the runoff will enter Congress with incumbency advantages ahead of 2026, when Texas’s redistricting process could reopen questions about the shape and competitiveness of urban seats. 

Constitutional Amendments: GOP Legislative Agenda Solidified 

In addition to candidate races, Texans voted on 17 proposed amendments to the state constitution. These measures spanned a wide range of policy areas, including property tax relief, judicial retirement age adjustments, infrastructure funding and investment in broadband expansion. 

Unofficial returns from several counties indicated broad support for the majority of amendments, including Proposition 4, which creates a flood infrastructure fund, Proposition 7, which provides a tax exemption for surviving spouses of veterans, and Proposition 8, which prohibits inheritance tax. The success of these amendments reflects not only the GOP’s continued dominance of Texas’s legislative process but also strong public support for fiscal policies focused on tax relief and infrastructure investment. Turnout, however, remained low statewide. 

Georgia 

Public Service Commission: Democrats Break GOP Hold on Statewide Offices 

In Georgia, two long-delayed races for seats on the Public Service Commission (PSC) finally took place after years of litigation surrounding districting and voting access. A powerful but overlooked statewide body, the PSC regulates electricity rates, utility monopolies and telecommunications policies across the state. 

In a stunning outcome, Democrats flipped both contested seats. Alicia Johnson defeated longtime Commissioner Tim Echols in District 2 and Peter Hubbard ousted Fitz Johnson in District 3. Both Democratic candidates won their races with 63% of the vote. 

These results hold significant political weight. First, they mark the first time since 2006 that Democrats have won a statewide election in Georgia. Second, they represent the first Democratic victories for PSC seats in recent memory, giving Democrats an immediate policy foothold over key regulatory issues such as rate increases and green energy development. 

The PSC faced growing scrutiny over its handling of rising utility bills and the multibillion-dollar cost overruns associated with the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion. Democratic candidates focused heavily on affordability, transparency and clean energy, while their Republican opponents defended the commission’s record on energy reliability. 

These victories could also bolster Democratic enthusiasm ahead of Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D-GA) 2026 reelection campaign and the next gubernatorial race, providing party infrastructure and confidence that Democrats can achieve state-level wins, even in high-turnout contests. 

Andre Dickens: Mayoral Reelection in Atlanta 

Incumbent Mayor Andre Dickens secured reelection on Nov. 4, 2025, winning a second term in the nonpartisan four-way race by claiming 85% of the vote and surpassing all challengers in a single round.   

Context and Campaign 
Dickens, who first won in 2021 and assumed office in January 2022, ran on his record of stabilizing Atlanta amid pandemic recovery efforts, lowering violent crime and advancing affordable housing initiatives. His campaign launched early and amassed strong support from local business and political leadership, with at least $1.4 million reported in early fundraising.   

Key issues of his first term included reducing homicides, expanding affordable housing as part of a goal for 20,000 new units and major infrastructure efforts tied to the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, for which Atlanta is slated to host matches. Critics highlighted Dickens’s controversial decisions, notably supporting the $115 million “Cop City” public safety training facility and handling of certain oversight and water outage issues.   

Implications for City Governance 
With Dickens returning to office, Atlanta’s trajectory will likely remain consistent in the near term: 

• Housing and affordability: Expect renewed emphasis on converting publicly owned land into mixed-income housing and continuing partnerships with private developers under Dickens’s agenda.   
   
• Public safety and infrastructure: His support of the training facility and investment in policing and emergency services signals continuity in public safety policy and infrastructure spending. 
   
• 2026 FIFA World Cup momentum: As host of multiple World Cup matches, Atlanta under Dickens will continue gearing up for the global spotlight, which plays into both political capital and long-term urban investment strategy. 

The Bottom Line
Dickens’s reelection underscores that Atlanta voters opted for continuity and moderate progress rather than political upheaval. Although the race was not tightly contested, his win affirms local support for his agenda and gives him a clear mandate heading into a term that overlaps major city events and infrastructure rollouts. 

Other Notable Elections: 

• Florida: While municipal elections were held in various parts of Florida—including a mayoral race heading to a Dec. 9 runoff between County Commissioner Eileen Higgins and former city manager Emilio Gonzalez—officials held no statewide ballot initiatives or federal races of note this cycle. Orlando saw zero major contests relevant to broader trends. 
• Maine: Voters rejected a conservative-backed ballot initiative that sought to impose stricter voter ID and absentee ballot requirements. The outcome aligns with Maine’s progressive electoral leanings and signals continued resistance to restrictive election security proposals. Additionally, Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden stated that he will not seek reelection, giving Republicans a good shot to pick up a seat in New England. President Trump won Golden’s district by 10 points in 2024, so the likelihood that it will swing Republican during the midterms is strong.

What to Watch and Other Takeaways 

• Runoff Dynamics Matter: The Texas Senate and U.S. House runoffs, both likely in December, will test Democratic enthusiasm and suburban turnout. Gov. Greg Abbott will need to set a date. Although neither race will flip a legislative chamber, their outcomes could shape redistricting, party strategy and candidate pipelines. 
• Suburban Shifts Continue: Rehmet’s strong showing in Tarrant County’s SD-9 in Texas suggests that even deep-red areas may no longer be safely Republican in special elections, particularly when multiple GOP candidates split the vote. 
• PSC Results Signal Regulatory Shift: Georgia’s Public Service Commission flips are more than symbolic. Democrats will now have a stronger voice in setting utility rates and pushing for clean energy reforms, issues that directly affect consumer bills and climate policy. 
• Off-Year Elections Still Carry Weight: Despite traditionally lower turnout, these elections offer crucial insights into voter concerns, especially on issues like cost of living, taxation and infrastructure that will likely dominate the political discourse going into 2026 campaigns. 
• Democratic Momentum Ahead of 2026: From flipping Georgia’s PSC to competitive showings in Texas suburbs, Democrats enter the next cycle with renewed energy. Even though these gains didn’t alter control of any chamber, they reflect broader shifts in voter sentiment. 

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THIS DOCUMENT IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING 2025 ELECTION RESULTS. THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT ARE NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT OR IF YOU NEED LEGAL ADVICE AS TO AN ISSUE, PLEASE CONTACT THE ATTORNEYS LISTED OR YOUR REGULAR BROWNSTEIN HYATT FARBER SCHRECK, LLP ATTORNEY. THIS COMMUNICATION MAY BE CONSIDERED ADVERTISING IN SOME JURISDICTIONS.