With the backing of President Donald Trump, state Sen. Randy Fine and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis on Tuesday won special Republican primary elections for congressional seats.
Fine topped Republicans Aaron Baker and Ehsan Joarder to advance to the April 1 special general election to replace former U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, who resigned from the Congressional District 6 seat to become Trump’s national security adviser. District 6 is made up of all or parts of Flagler, Lake, Marion, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties.
Meanwhile, Patronis emerged from a field of 10 Republicans in the contest to succeed former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who resigned in November in Congressional District 1. That district is made up of all or parts of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties.
As of shortly before 9 p.m., Fine had 83 percent of the vote in the GOP primary in District 6, while Patronis had about 66 percent in District 1, according to the state Division of Elections website.
Fine and Patronis will be heavy favorites going into the general elections in the Republican-dominated districts. If they win, it would help expand the GOP’s slim majority in the U.S. House.
Fine’s victory was announced Tuesday night by Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, while the Senate debated an immigration measure during a special legislative session.
“Kind of weak, only 80 percent of the vote,” Albritton said to Fine. “We expected much more.”
Fine jokingly responded, “Look, it’s me. There’s of course going to be some people that don’t like me.”
Fine, who supported Trump over Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, also said that his “reward for that loyalty is I’m going to Congress.”
In the general election, Fine will face Josh Weil, an educator who topped George “Ges” Selmont in the Democratic primary. Also in the race is Libertarian Andrew Parrott and unaffiliated candidate Randall Terry, a prominent anti-abortion activist.
Patronis will face Democrat Gay Valimont and unaffiliated candidate Stephen Broden in the general election in District 1. Among the candidates he beat in Tuesday’s primary was former state Rep. Joel Rudman, a Navarre Republican who resigned from his state House race to run for Congress.
Patronis, who has served as chief financial officer since 2017, previously was a state House representative and member of the Florida Public Service Commission. Fine was elected to the Senate in November after eight years in the state House.
Gaetz resigned from the House in November after being picked by Trump to become U.S. attorney general. Gaetz later withdrew from consideration for the Justice Department post amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
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