A pair of Trump-endorsed Republicans easily won a pair of special House primaries Tuesday in Florida, setting them up to fill two vacant, deep-red seats and pad the party’s slim House majority.
The Associated Press projected the primary in Florida’s 6th District for state Sen. Randy Fine shortly after polls closed in the district at 7 p.m. Eastern, with Fine taking more than 80% of the GOP primary vote.
State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis had more than two-thirds support in the GOP primary in Florida’s 1st District when The Associated Press called his race soon after 8 p.m. Eastern, easily outpacing a crowded field of candidates.
Fine and Patronis notched endorsements not only from President Donald Trump but from House Republican leaders, too, as they sought to succeed former Reps. Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz.
Waltz resigned from the House earlier this month to become Trump’s national security adviser, while Gaetz resigned from the House last year after Trump picked him to be attorney general. But Gaetz dropped out of the running amid allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.
Later, the House Ethics Committee released a report stating it had “determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.” Gaetz denied the allegations
Both Fine and Gaetz will be heavy favorites against the Democratic nominees in the special general elections, after both districts went Republican by 30-plus points in 2024.
But House Republicans will still have the April 1 special elections circled on their calendars, as adding additional members will give them a bit more breathing room in a tightly divided chamber.
After Waltz and former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s resignations, the GOP has a 218-215 edge in the House — meaning only two defections could sink a bill with every member voting.
