Republicans Randy Fine, Jimmy Patronis Win Florida Special Elections

<p>Republican state Sen. Randy Fine won a special election Tuesday to represent Florida's 6th Congressional District, defeating Democratic challenger Josh Weil.</p> <p>The 50-year-old Fine will be taking over the seat left vacant by Mike Waltz, whom Trump appointed as his national security advisor. Waltz previously served as the representative for Florida's red-leaning sixth congressional district, which includes the Ocala National Forest and communities like Daytona Beach.&nbsp;</p> <p>In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump wrote, "Congratulations Randy, a great WIN against a massive CASH AVALANCHE. <br />DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT."</p> <p><iframe class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" src="https://ift.tt/SWK2nuc" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p> <script src="https://ift.tt/p2AN8xD" async="async"></script> </p> <p>On his win, Randy Fine, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), wrote, quoting Trump, "Because of you, Mr. President. I won&rsquo;t let you down."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Because of you, Mr. President. <br /><br />I won&rsquo;t let you down. <a href="https://t.co/AH8XLjYJde">pic.twitter.com/AH8XLjYJde</a></p> &mdash; Senator Randy Fine (@VoteRandyFine) <a href="https://twitter.com/VoteRandyFine/status/1907213655088762998?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <p> <script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script> </p> <p>The seat was critical for Fine to win since Republicans have a razor thin 218-213 seat majority in the House. Fine was first elected to the Florida House in 2016 and ran each year as a representative until 2024 when he successfully won his election to the Florida Senate. He is known for his support of Israel and his efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights.</p> <h2>Republican Jimmy Patronis Wins Special Election</h2> <p>Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis has won the special election to replace former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) in the 1st Congressional District, defeating Democrat Gay Valimont.</p> <p>Patronis won the endorsement of Trump in November, which appeared to head off a more robust Republican primary, even though Patronis doesn&rsquo;t live in the district.</p> <h2>Trump Congratulated Both Candidates</h2> <p>Trump congratulated both candidate and said his endorsement helped them secure a victory. He wrote, "BOTH FLORIDA HOUSE SEATS HAVE BEEN WON, BIG, BY THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE. THE TRUMP ENDORSEMENT, AS ALWAYS, PROVED FAR GREATER THAN THE DEMOCRATS FORCES OF EVIL. CONGRATULATIONS TO AMERICA!!!"</p> <p><iframe class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" src="https://ift.tt/4Ss0Lrp" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p> <script src="https://ift.tt/p2AN8xD" async="async"></script> </p> <p><strong>ALSO READ: <a href="https://ift.tt/QdlwJkc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump's Reciprocal Tariffs To Go Into Effect 'Immediately': White House</a></strong></p>

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/republicans-randy-fine-jimmy-patronis-win-florida-special-elections-1762200