Texas Senate, District 9
A Dallas-Fort Worth area district. Taylor Rehmet, the Democratic nominee, has held the seat since winning a special election runoff in 2026, after the Legislature’s 2025 cannabis and hemp roll calls, so neither candidate appears in one. Each was checked against the same sources.
How this score is worked out
Seven kinds of act move this number, and they do not count equally. A recorded vote counts 3, and so does authoring a bill or signing an executive action; signing on to somebody else’s bill counts 2. A statement or a questionnaire answer counts 2 as well, and an organisational endorsement counts 1. A vote takes its direction from the bill, whose effect is set out in advance; the rest take it from our reading of what was said, and each one below shows that reading and the reason for it. Acts shown with no number were examined and deliberately left out of the arithmetic, with a reason given.
- 2025-10-13 questionnaire — Answered that THC should not be generally available and should be limited to physician supervision, counted as -2 at weight 2
Average on the −2 to +2 scale: -2. Full method and the bill table.
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Questionnaire2025-10-13
Answered the Fort Worth Star-Telegram voter guide question "What should the Texas Legislature do, if anything, to address the state’s hemp and THC product industry?", in the guide published 2025-10-13 ahead of the November 2025 special election for this seat: "THC is a powerful drug that should not be available on every street corner. It should be available to those who can benefit from it while under the care and supervision of a physician."
The Star-Telegram republished both candidates’ answers on 2026-09-17, when they met again for a full term.
How this score is worked out
Seven kinds of act move this number, and they do not count equally. A recorded vote counts 3, and so does authoring a bill or signing an executive action; signing on to somebody else’s bill counts 2. A statement or a questionnaire answer counts 2 as well, and an organisational endorsement counts 1. A vote takes its direction from the bill, whose effect is set out in advance; the rest take it from our reading of what was said, and each one below shows that reading and the reason for it. Acts shown with no number were examined and deliberately left out of the arithmetic, with a reason given.
- 2026-09-08 questionnaire — Answered "Strongly Support" on maintaining a legal, regulated hemp marketplace and wrote that the answer is not prohibition but clear rules, consistent enforcement, safe products and a legitimate Texas industry, counted as +2 at weight 2
- 2026-02-03 questionnaire — Called for using the moment to stop criminalising non-violent behaviour, expand medical access for patients and veterans, and put sensible regulations in place, counted as +1 at weight 2
- 2025-10-13 questionnaire — Answered that the industry should be regulated and taxed like alcohol rather than banned, counted as +2 at weight 2
Average on the −2 to +2 scale: 1.667. Full method and the bill table.
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Questionnaire2025-10-13
Answered the Fort Worth Star-Telegram voter guide question "What should the Texas Legislature do, if anything, to address the state’s hemp and THC product industry?", in the guide published 2025-10-13 ahead of the November 2025 special election for this seat: "The legislature should stop playing morality police and start governing responsibly," and continued: "The hemp and THC industry is an $8-billion-a-year sector supporting more than 50,000 Texas jobs.
Instead of trying to ban it outright, we should put in place common-sense regulation, clear permitting processes, and fair taxation. The same way we do for alcohol. That protects consumers, keeps products out of kids hands, and gives law enforcement the tools they need without wiping out farmers and small businesses overnight. Texans don’t want fear-driven bans. They want a government that respects personal freedom while keeping the marketplace safe and fair.
Banning these products won’t make anyone safer. It will just destroy jobs, gut local economies, and push the industry underground."
⚠️The answer continues with a claim about an opponent’s campaign donors and their effect on his policy. That is an assertion about another named person’s motive, which this site does not publish even in quotation marks, so the quote ends here; the full answer is in the linked guide. The Star-Telegram republished both candidates’ answers on 2026-09-17, when they met again for a full term.
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Questionnaire2026-02-03
Answered the Dallas Morning News candidate questionnaire in its 2026 voter guide. The paper asked every candidate in the race: "How do you think the president’s executive order to reclassify marijuana as a schedule III drug will affect THC regulation in Texas?" The answer given was: "The president’s move to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug is a long-overdue shift toward science and common sense. It doesn’t change Texas law overnight, but it does open the door for more medical research, better consumer safety standards, and a more rational regulatory framework."
They continued: "Right now, Texas still treats marijuana and many THC products under outdated criminal statutes. My view is that we should use this moment to catch up with reality and stop criminalizing non-violent behavior, expand medical access for patients and veterans and put in place sensible regulations that protect public health and support farmers and small businesses. Texans deserve policies rooted in evidence, not stigma, and this federal action gives us an opportunity to move in that direction."
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Questionnaire2026-09-08
Said "The answer is not prohibition" and called for a safe, well-regulated hemp industry, in the Texas Hemp Business Council’s 2026 candidate questionnaire. The council is a hemp industry trade association; it put twenty questions to 223 candidates for the Texas Legislature and statewide office and publishes the answers it receives in full, without editing. These are the candidate’s own words, submitted by the candidate.
Asked about the future of hemp in Texas, the answer was, in full: "Texas should build a safe, well-regulated hemp industry that protects consumers while allowing legitimate farmers, manufacturers, and retailers to succeed. As an Air Force veteran, this issue is also personal to me. Many veterans use these products to manage symptoms associated with PTSD, chronic pain, and injuries sustained during military service. We should not take that option away from responsible adults.
I support state licensing, sales limited to adults 21 and older, independent testing, accurate labeling, child-resistant packaging, and strong restrictions on marketing to children. We should also conduct regular inspections and secret-shopper style compliance checks. Bad actors should face substantial fines, license revocation, and criminal penalties when warranted. The answer is not prohibition. It is clear rules, consistent enforcement, safe products, and a legitimate Texas industry that consumers can trust."
Asked who should be permitted to sell THC, to whom, at what dose, in what form and subject to what safeguards: "THC products should be sold only by state-licensed and regularly inspected businesses to adults 21 and older. Packaging should be child-resistant, tamper-evident, and prohibited use of marketing designed to appeal to children. Retailers should be required to verify consumers age, maintain product records, and face meaningful penalties for selling to minors or carrying untested or illegally manufactured products."
On the questionnaire’s fixed-choice questions: on maintaining a legal, regulated hemp marketplace, "Strongly Support"; on whether regulation is preferable to prohibition where a product can be made and sold safely, "Yes"; on hemp agriculture, "Strongly Support"; on retail regulation, "Reasonable statewide licensing/registration"; on tax policy, "Yes"; on consumer choice, "Yes". The council prints his name as "Senator Taylor Rehmet"; the identification is on office, district and party.
The date is the date the council recorded the submission, in Central time.
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All 2 candidates on this ballot are listed.