Republican Brett Ligon has won a major victory in a special election for Texas State Senate District 4 that will strengthen the GOP’s grip on a key Houston-area seat and sets the stage for another big matchup in November 2026. The special election was called after former state Sen. Brandon Creighton resigned from his position in order to become chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.
With Creighton leaving the seat, there was a short but pivotal race between Ligon, a Republican who formerly served as the Montgomery County district attorney, and Democrat Ron Angeletti, an educator and first-time political candidate. Ligon’s victory was decisive as he took close to 75% of the vote, while Angeletti took 25%, according to unofficial results.
The blowout by Ligon clearly captures the Republican lean of the district as well as Ligon’s strong name recognition after serving almost 20 years as the top prosecutor in Montgomery County. The district covers a huge portion of southeast Texas, including parts of Montgomery, Harris, Chambers, Jefferson, and Galveston counties. It is considered to be a deep red district with the GOP dominating the territory by large margins.
According to a report from Trending Politics News, that advantage led many political analysts to predict that Ligon would be the clear favorite to win the race. The former district attorney’s campaign focused heavily on traditional GOP policies such as public safety, border security, and property tax relief. With his background as a prosecutor, Ligon campaigned hard on a message of law and order, something that resonates with the MAGA crowd.
Ligon also garnered wide support from the Republican establishment, receiving key endorsements from Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, which helped to consolidate the party’s support for him and increase turnout among Republican voters. The endorsements, along with the district’s Republican lean, provided Ligon with a structural advantage throughout the race.
While the race was lopsided in favor of the Republican candidate, it still drew major media attention. Democrats were pointing to an earlier upset the party won during a separate Texas Senate special election as a sign that the tide might be turning in their favor for the midterms later in the year. However, the race for District 4 has rained on their parade, demonstrating that the momentum Democrats thought they had still has limits, especially in areas that are heavily in favor of the GOP.
Despite an increase in voter turnout for the special election, the number of ballots cast in the race was still fairly low, with only 26,000 ballots cast. However, that’s nothing out of the ordinary for an off-cycle election, but still worth noting due to the amount of political attention that Texas has received in recent years. Early voting accounted for a significant share of voter participation in both Montgomery and Harris counties.
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It’s important to note that Ligon’s big win doesn’t automatically secure him a full term in the position. The special election allows him to serve out the remainder of Creighton’s term, which goes through the early part of 2027. A rematch between Ligon and Angeletti is expected to take place this November, when voters will determine which of the two men will hold the seat for a full four-year term.