After a string of legislative defeats in 2025, a test of the political power of those pushing to legalize gambling in Texas fell flat again in last week’s elections.
Republican John Huffman, the former mayor of Southlake, finished in third place behind Democrat Taylor Rehmet and Republican Leigh Wambganss, missing the runoff for the Senate District 9 special election. Huffman received 16% of the vote, according to unofficial results, despite being the race’s best-funded candidate thanks to about $3.5 million in donations and in-kind political spending on Huffman’s behalf by casino tycoon Miriam Adelson and her casino empire, Las Vegas Sands.
Huffman’s defeat in the Tarrant County district comes after sports gambling legislation that had managed to receive narrow approval from the Texas House in 2023 failed to advance out of committee earlier this year.
