Republicans are warning of a closer-than-desired special election in Florida’s sixth congressional district as Democrats see fundraising gains in a district President Trump won by double digits.
The party’s frustrations come amid growing interest in the race for national security adviser Mike Waltz’s seat, thanks to the large amounts of cash raised by Democratic candidate Josh Weil, the involvement of national Democratic strategists and concerns shared by some on the right, such as Steve Bannon, over GOP candidate Randy Fine.
Still, Democrats face an uphill climb in the district, which spans a portion of the state’s east coast. Waltz and Trump both prevailed in the district by 30 points in November.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) told reporters on Tuesday that his party would underperform in the election, noting that “it’s a reflection of the candidate running in that race.”
Fine and DeSantis have a contentious history. Fine was the first Florida Republican to switch his endorsement from DeSantis to Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
A closer-than-usual margin in the district would give Democrats more fodder going into next year’s midterm elections, particularly after a string of victories and overperformances in special elections this year. Democrats are hoping to use a close margin to point to what they say is widespread anger at Trump and Republicans’ agenda.
Posted by John3262005
2 Comments
I grew up in the 1st district and I was there visiting family recently. The amount of enthusiasm for the dem candidate was like nothing I had ever seen before. And that’s really not an exaggeration; it was strange to see. Now do I think the dem will win? No, that’s extremely unlikely; the district is very red. But if she can narrow the gap and turn a 15 point race into a 5-10 point race then I think it will be a warning sign for conservatives going into next year.
Randy Fine is one of the biggest pieces of shit to ever be in the Florida Legislature. Vile human being