The candidate endorsed by President Trump on Tuesday won the Republican primary in a special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District in the race to replace former GOP Rep. Michael Waltz.
Waltz stepped down from his House seat last week to serve as national security adviser in Trump’s second administration.
The Associated Press projects that state Sen. Randy Fine will win the GOP nomination in the Republican-leaning district, which stretches from Daytona Beach to the southern suburbs of Jacksonville along Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Fine, who at one time was the only Jewish Republican lawmaker in the state legislature, topped a couple of other Republicans running in the primary. He will be considered the clear favorite in the April 1 general election.
IT’S PRIMARY DAY IN PARTS OF THIS CRUCIAL STATE
State lawmaker Randy Fine, a Republican from South Brevard County, Florida, speaks during a special legislative session, on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Tallahassee. (AP)
Republican and Democratic primaries were also being held Tuesday in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, in the special election to fill the seat left vacant after GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress abruptly late last year after Trump tapped him to be his attorney general.
Gaetz eventually withdrew himself from consideration amid growing Republican opposition. The congressman’s resignation also came as the House Ethics Committee had been preparing its report on allegations against Gaetz that included illicit drug use and sex with a minor, all of which he has denied.
Then-Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida (left) introduces then-Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Both of Tuesday’s Republican primaries in Florida are a test of Trump’s overwhelming clout over the GOP.
The general election in Florida’s 1st District is also on April 1.
With a fragile, razor-thin majority in the House, the likely reinforcements from both districts will be welcome news to Republican leadership in the chamber as it tries to pass Trump’s agenda.