Republican Randy Fine has won Florida’s 6th Congressional District special election, holding off a surprisingly strong challenge from Democrat Josh Weil. NBC News projected Fine’s win in the district, a Republican stronghold for years.
The race to replace Michael Waltz—who stepped down from Congress to become national security adviser to Trump—proved to be far more contentious than initially expected. Republican officials grew concerned when Weil, a schoolteacher by profession, managed to dramatically out-raise Fine, who serves in the Florida state Senate. While early voting numbers appeared to show a surge in Democratic participation, such statistics are often a poor predictor of final turnout.
Democratic leaders refrained from suggesting that Weil would flip the seat, yet the closeness of the contest may signal underlying challenges for Republicans moving forward. The 6th District has historically favored the GOP by wide margins—Trump, who backed Fine in the race, won the area by over 30 percentage points in the last presidential election, and Waltz had easily retained his seat.
This was one of two special congressional contests held in Florida on Tuesday.
Although the outcome of these elections would not have shifted the balance of power in the House—Republicans would have maintained their slim majority either way—a loss could have further complicated their already fragile governing prospects.
Tuesday’s elections in Florida, along with a key Supreme Court race in Wisconsin, marked the first major contests since Trump resumed the presidency. “The attention on the Florida races was a warning sign for Republicans,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said last week, adding that he believes Democrats will reclaim the House majority in the coming year.
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