Republicans win in both House special elections in Florida
Both races were won by smaller margins than GOP has won by in the past.
Republican candidates are projected to win both special elections for U.S. House seats in Florida, though by smaller margins than expected in two GOP-dominated districts.
State Sen. Randy Fine is projected by The Associated Press to win in Florida’s 6th Congressional District while the AP projects Jimmy Patronis will win in the 1st District.
The races to fill vacancies left by former Republican Reps. Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz heated up in recent weeks.
Both lawmakers resigned to join the Trump administration, although Gaetz withdrew his nomination as attorney general when it became clear that he did not have sufficient support in the Senate to be confirmed.
Ahead of the election, Republicans had 218 seats in the House -- a slim majority. The GOP would hold onto its majority no matter what the results of the Florida elections, but if they lost a seat, that will make legislating more difficult, especially on measures where every Republican doesn't vote with the party.
While Republicans will hold on to their majority regardless of the results in Florida, the election comes amid concerns over maintaining that power -- a concern that spilled into the public when President Donald Trump recently asked Rep. Elise Stefanik to withdraw from her nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations rather than give up her seat.
Trump endorsed both Republican candidates and campaigned for them by phone, although he had also expressed concerns on Monday that one of the races would be "a little bit close."
He touted the power of his endorsement in a post on his Truth Social platform, writing, "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!!!"
The 6th District race was in play more than expected, with uncertainty among some Republicans over whether Fine could keep the seat in GOP hands, given that he lagged far behind Democrat Josh Weil in fundraising.
Fine had about 57% of the vote while Weil had 43%. Waltz won the district in 2024 by just over 30 percentage points and Trump carried it by 30 points.
And while the race in the 1st District was not forecast to be competitive, the initial vote count showed it closer than expected.
Patronis had 57% of the vote, while Democratic candidate Gay Valimont had 42%. Gaetz won over Valimont by 32 percentage points in 2024, and Trump carried it by almost 40 points.
Fine pushed back against insinuations that he had underperformed in his race.
“I won, last time I looked, by 14 points. So I think it’s hard to say that’s an underperformance by any stretch ... I won by 14 points. That’s not an underperformance.”
Special elections usually have lower turnout than on-cycle elections and turnout and results can be tough to predict.
On the fundraising front, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission, Fine has raised or received around $987,000 from late November 2024 through mid-March, while Weil has raised or received more than $9 million since Oct. 1, 2024 through mid-March. Fine also donated $600,000 to himself, according to later filings.
Weil's campaign has spent more than $8 million of what he's raised, per the filings; Fine's campaign had also spent much of its cash on hand before his donations to himself.
But Fine does have Trump's strong endorsement.
Trump said on Thursday of Fine: "He will be there whenever I need him, and he wants to be there whenever we need him. He wants to be there for you."
Fine has expressed confidence. He told ABC News Live anchor Diane Macedo on Monday, "We're doing great," and later added, "What we're seeing is angry Democrats, and Republicans having to understand what's at stake."
Weil, who was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Friday, told ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis on Monday night, "People want someone who will fight for them in Washington and that's what we're offering."
He said that Sanders' endorsement, which Fine had criticized, seemed to be an asset when talking to voters who appreciated the senator's message.
The president said in a telephone rally on Thursday, "Jimmy's done an outstanding job as the Chief Financial Officer of the state of Florida, helping to guide your state to tremendous economic success. And now he wants to keep on fighting for Florida in Congress, and he's going to do that, and he'll vote to defend Social Security, protect Medicare, all these things ... under great danger with the Democrats."
Patronis, speaking after Trump, told listeners, "Look, if you're not fired up to hearing the president right now, then you need to get your pulse checked with President Trump and the White House. A Republican majority in Congress, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform this country."
Meanwhile, Valimont has raised more than Patronis, per Federal Election Commission filings -- which show Valimont has raised around $6 million while Patronis raised around $2 million.
"In Congress, I will show Florida's 1st District what it looks like when the government truly works for the people and our needs," Valimont wrote on Monday.
-ABC News' John Parkinson, Lauren Peller and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
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