Republican candidates are projected to win the two special elections for the US DPR seats in Florida, although with a smaller margin than expected in two districts dominated by GOP.
The State Senator Randy Fine is projected by the Associated Press to win in the 6th Congress District of Florida while AP projects Jimmy Patronis will win in District 1.
The race to fill the vacancies left by former Representatives of the Republic of Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz heats up in recent weeks.
The two parliament members resigned to join the Trump administration, although Gaetz withdrew the nomination as the Attorney General when it became clear that he did not have enough support in the Senate to be confirmed.
Ahead of the election, the Republican party has 218 seats in the DPR – the majority of them are slim. GOP will maintain its majority no matter what the results of the Florida election, but if they lose their seats, it will make the law more difficult, especially in the steps in which each republic does not vote with the party.
While the Republican Party will maintain the majority of them apart from the results in Florida, the election came in the midst of concerns about maintaining that power – a concern that extended to the public when President Donald Trump had just asked Rep. Elise Stefanik to withdraw from his nomination as the US Ambassador to the United Nations rather than handing over a seat in the chair.
One of Florida’s races played more than expected, with uncertainty among several republican about whether the fine can guard the seats safely in the hands of the Republic, given that he was far behind the Democrats Josh Weil in raising funds.
Fine leads with 54% of the votes while Weil has 45%. Waltz won the district in 2024 with more than 30 points percentage and Trump brought it with 30 points.
And while the race in the first district is not expected to be competitive, the initial number of votes shows closer than expected.
Patronis led the race with 57% of votes, while Democratic candidates Gay Valimont had 42%. Gaetz won over Valimont with 32 points percentage in 2024, and Trump brought him with nearly 40 points.
Rep. Randy Fine closed the gambling bill during the special session, May 19, 2021, in Tallahassee, Florida. Democratic candidate Josh Weil spoke during the campaign stop at the Silver Springs Shores community center, March 26, 2025, in Ocala, Florida.
Steve Cannon/AP | Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Special elections usually have a lower number of voters than the selection of cycles and the number of voters and the results can be difficult to predict.
At the front of the fundraising, according to the submission with the Federal Election Commission, it’s fine has raised or accepted Around $ 987,000 from the end of November 2024 to mid -March, while Weil has raised or accepted More than $ 9 million from October 1, 2024 until mid -March. Good also donated $ 600,000 for himself, according to submission next.
Rep. Randy Fine answered questions about his house Bill 3-C: Independent Special District on the House of Representatives 20 April 2022, in Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla.
Phil Sears/AP
Weil’s campaign has spent more than $ 8 million from what he collected, according to the submission; The Fine campaign has also spent a lot of money in hand before its donations for herself.
But well, it does have strong support Trump.
Trump said on Thursday well: “He will be there every time I need it, and he wants to be there every time we need it. He wants to be there for you.”
Good has stated self -confidence. He told ABC News Diane Macedo’s directly on Monday, “We are fine,” and then added, “What we see is an angry Democrats, and Republicans must understand what is at stake.”
Weil, supported by Senator Bernie Sanders, I-VT., On Friday, told the main anchor of ABC News Live Linsey Davis on Monday night, “People want someone who will fight for them in Washington and that is what we offer.”
He said that Sanders’ support, which was criticized by good, seemed to be an asset when talking to voters who valued senator messages.
Josh Weil, a school teacher and a Democratic candidate for the 6th Congress of Florida Congress in the US Representative Council, spoke at the City Hall event in Ocala, Florida, March 26, 2025.
Octavio Jones/Reuters
Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronic spoke during the meeting between Governor Ron Desantis and the State Cabinet in Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, March 5, 2025.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP, File
The President said in a telephone general meeting on Thursday, “Jimmy did an extraordinary job as the Head of Florida’s State Finance Officer, helping to guide your country for extraordinary economic success. And now he wants to continue to fight for Florida at the Congress, and he will do that, and he will choose to defend social security, protect Medicare, all of this … under his great danger.
Patronic, speaking after Trump, told the listener, “See, if you are not eager to hear the president now, then you need to check your pulse with President Trump and the White House.
Meanwhile, Valimont has increased more than a protector, per submission of the Federal Election Commission – which shows Valimont has increased Around $ 6 million while protectors raised $ 2 million.
Democratic candidate Gay Valimont pose for portraits outside of his campaign office in Pensacola, Florida, March 17, 2025.
Kate Payne/AP, File
“At the congress, I will show what Florida’s first district is when the government really works for the people and our needs,” Valimont Write on Monday.
-ABC News’ John Parkinson, Lauren Peller and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.