Florida primary elections – Matt Gaetz – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Phil Mistry
In order to replace former Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) in the first congressional district and President Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz in the sixth congressional district, Florida will host two special election primaries on Tuesday.
The emergency general elections, scheduled for April 1, are expected to be won by the winners of each primary. Both state senator Randy Fine (R-Fla.) and chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis, who are favored in the first and sixth districts, respectively, have received the president’s endorsement.
Here are some things to look out for in Tuesday’s Florida special election primaries.
Republicans will have greater wiggle room in the House thanks to seats.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) already narrow majority shrank to 218 Republicans to 215 Democrats when Gatez resigned from Congress and Waltz joined the Trump administration. And that majority would fall to 217 if Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Trump’s choice for UN ambassador, is confirmed.
Johnson has limited options as he looks to back Trump’s agenda in the House due to the narrow majority, even if Republicans are predicted to win the seats. To enact legislation in the interim, all 218 Republican lawmakers must work together.
Johnson’s issue is that there are some rifts in the Republican Party. House GOP leadership is already attempting to strike a balance between Republican fiscal hawks’ requests for legislation that is either debt neutral or deficit decreasing and Trump’s agenda wish list. Johnson may be able to advance the agenda more easily if at least two additional Republican seats are taken by Republicans who have supported Trump.
Trump has offered his thoughts.
Last November, Trump openly urged Patronis and Fine to run in their respective districts, prompting both to do so.
Several previously declared contenders for the seat swiftly withdrew from the contest and backed Patronis when Trump endorsed him in the first congressional district. Joel Rudman, a Republican state representative, is still vying for the primary, nevertheless.
In the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Fine—the lone Jewish Republican in Florida’s state legislature—made headlines as the first Florida member to transfer his endorsement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to Trump. He did so, according to Fine, since Trump’s actions showed that he supported the Jewish community.
In the general election, Republicans are expected to win.
Given the districts’ strong conservative slant, the winner of Tuesday’s primary will have significant advantages heading into the general elections in April.
The western panhandle of Florida is included in the first congressional district, which is among the most conservative in the state. It encompasses portions of Walton, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Escambia counties. In November, Gaetz received 66 percent of the vote and won the district.
On the opposite side of the state, along the East Coast, is the sixth congressional district. It extends from Jacksonville to the area of Daytona Beach. With slightly more than 66 percent of the vote, Waltz was reelected in November.
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.