Republican Randy Fine wins Florida special election for Waltz seat

Florida state Sen. Randy Fine (R) has won the special election for Florida’s 6th Congressional District on Tuesday, according to Decision Desk HQ, defeating Democrat Josh Weil in what became a closely contested race in the deep-red district. 

Fine’s win will come as a relief for Republicans, who grew increasingly worried about the race as Weil overperformed Fine in fundraising and some polling going into Election Day.

A Democratic victory in the district, which stretches from South Daytona to St. Augustine, would have been a political earthquake. President Trump and national security adviser Michael Waltz, who previously held the seat, each won the district by more than 30 points in November. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) represented the district prior to resigning to run for governor in 2018. 

Weil announced last month that his campaign raised nearly $10 million, while Fine raised just less than $1 million. Weil also outspent Fine by roughly $8.2 million to $895,000. On top of that, an internal poll from the Republican firm Fabrizio Ward showed Weil holding a 3-point lead over Fine. 

Republicans noted they felt better once Fine went up on television in the district prior to the election. However, the GOP still pulled out all of the stops ahead of Election Day. A number of big-name conservative figures, including Trump, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and conservative talk show host Ben Shapiro have taken part in tele-town halls for Fine and called for voters to turn out on Election Day. 

Many Democrats maintained that the race was ultimately about closing the margins in a Trump district, but shifted more attention than usual to the red district. Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin campaigned in the district over the weekend. Earlier last month, the DNC announced an investment in the district, along with the special House race for the 1st Congressional District last month.