TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The races to fill the U.S. House seats of former Reps. Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz begin Tuesday with primaries in reliably conservative districts that solidly back President Donald Trump.
One of the seats up for grabs is northwest Florida’s 1st Congressional District, long represented by Gaetz. He announced he wouldn’t be returning to Congress after he withdrew from consideration to be Trump’s attorney general amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
The other race is for the 6th Congressional District, which extends south of Jacksonville and includes Daytona Beach. The seat had been held by Waltz, who is now serving as Trump’s national security adviser, a position that doesn't require Senate confirmation.
Republicans are expected to hold the seats, which will restore their thin 220-215 majority in the U.S. House as they pursue Trump's agenda. But the push to implement Trump’s policies could be slowed as Congress waits for the primary winners to be confirmed in general elections scheduled for April 1.
Here's what to know about Tuesday's special elections.
Who are the Trump-endorsed candidates?
For the 1st District, Trump chose Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, a former state lawmaker from Panama City whose family is well-known in the area for founding Capt. Anderson's, a local seafood restaurant. Patronis has been a familiar face in Florida politics for decades and is a longtime ally of now-Sen. Rick Scott, who as governor appointed him to be Florida's chief financial officer in 2017.
In the 6th District, Trump is backing state Sen. Randy Fine, a conservative firebrand known for his support of Israel and his efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights. Fine was first elected to the Florida House in 2016, and recently broke with Gov. Ron DeSantis, accusing the governor of not doing enough to combat antisemitism.
Who's challenging Trump's picks?
One of the main Republican challengers running against Patronis in the 1st District is former state Rep. Joel Rudman, a doctor who built his political profile by criticizing mask mandates during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fine faces two other Republicans in the 6th District race, Aaron Baker of Sorrento and Ehsan Joarder of Brooksville, who describes himself as a “young entrepreneur” on his website.
Who are the Democrats?
In the 1st District, Gay Valimont, an activist with Moms Demand Action, challenged Gaetz as a Democrat this past election cycle. She’s running again in the special election after losing in November with just 34% of the vote.
Waltz carried the 6th District by a 30-point margin in November. Now two Democrats are running for his seat — Josh Weil, an Orlando area teacher, and Ges Selmont, a businessman from Elkton. This isn't Selmont's first time running for Congress — he challenged Rep. John Rutherford in Florida's 4th Congressional District in 2018.
What are experts watching?
In both districts, Republican primary winners should have the inside track to join Congress, said Aubrey Jewett, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida.
Both Fine and Patronis had high name recognition even before winning Trump's endorsement. But they've also both faced criticism for not living in the districts they want to represent. Jewett said the Republican primary for Gaetz's seat in particular could prove competitive.
Jewett said there's even a chance Democrats could run up the margins in a low turnout scenario, pointing to other recent special elections.
“Democrats might be able to take Waltz's seat, but it would take a small miracle,” Jewett said. “I think for the Gaetz seat, that would be more than a small miracle. It would be like a very large miracle to take that one.”
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Matat reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Kate Payne And Stephany Matat, The Associated Press
