Donald Trump’s power to pick political winners in his adopted home state gets another test Tuesday with special election primaries for the seats left vacant by former Republican congressmen Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz.
Tuesday is the special congressional primary election in Northwest Florida. District 1 covers Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and part of Walton County. It does not go into Bay County where Jimmy Patronis lives,
Donald Trump has endorsed Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine to succeed Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz, respectively, in Florida's special House elections.
The races to fill the U.S. House seats of former Florida Reps. Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz began Tuesday with primaries in reliably conservative districts that solidly back President Donald Trump.
Florida will hold two special election primaries on Tuesday to replace President Trump’s national security adviser Mike Walz in the sixth congressional district and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)
Republican voters in several Florida counties head to the polls on Tuesday, where they will select GOP nominees to fill seats that were held by former Reps. Michael Waltz and Matt Gaetz.
Patronis has the Trump endorsement, boasts the best name recognition in the district, and went into the stretch run of the Primary race best positioned financially, with almost $711,000 cash on hand as of Jan. 8. To put that in perspective, no other candidate in the crowded field had more than $33,000 for the stretch run.
Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer running in the First District, and Randy Fine, a state senator running in the Sixth District, are seen as the favorites to fill the Republican-leaning congressional seats after President Trump endorsed them.
Republican primary voters in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts will pick the likely successors to former representatives Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz, respectively.
The Donald Trump-endorsed candidate collected close to $1M, and had most of it in the bank weeks ahead of a Jan. 28 GOP Primary.
Floridians will vote to determine which candidates will face off in a special election to replace the vacancies left by Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz.