Pakistan, Feb. 6 -- "Today is the day!" US President Donald Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social, urging followers in Texas to "GET OUT AND VOTE" for the "phenomenal" Republican candidate in a state senate race.

A day later, after Democratic victory was certain, the president brushed off the loss in a district he had won in 2024 by 17 points as just a "local Texas race." "I'm not involved with that," he told reporters.

But the major leftward swing in Texas, following on the heels of other recent Democratic gains, has raised alarm bells among Republicans over what it could mean for national elections in November.

"Special elections are quirky and not necessarily projectable re: a general election," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote on...