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Republicans saw off a late surge in Democratic support to win two crucial special elections in Florida after voter ire at Donald Trump triggered a tighter than expected contest.
Randy Fine, a Florida state senator, beat Democrat Josh Weil on Tuesday to fill the House of Representatives seat previously held by Trump’s embattled national security adviser Mike Waltz, who gave it up to join the cabinet.
Elsewhere, Republican Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer, won the seat formerly occupied by Trump’s one-time pick for attorney-general, Matt Gaetz, who withdrew from consideration for the cabinet role following allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use, which he denies.
Democrats performed much better than expected in both races, narrowing the margin in the Republican strongholds considerably since November’s presidential election amid voter backlash against Trump and heavy spending by the Democratic party.
The Associated Press called the race for both Republicans shortly after polls closed on Tuesday evening.
Trump hailed the two wins on Tuesday night, writing on his Truth Social platform: “BOTH FLORIDA HOUSE SEATS HAVE BEEN WON, BIG, BY THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE. THE TRUMP ENDORSEMENT, AS ALWAYS, PROVED FAR GREATER THAN THE DEMOCRATS FORCES OF EVIL.”
The Republican wins will boost the party’s majority in the House to 220 to Democrats’ 213, easing the task of Speaker Mike Johnson as he seeks to push Trump’s legislative agenda through Congress.
The races were held in Florida districts that had long been staunchly Republican. But they attracted national attention after polling indicated the outcome for Waltz’s former seat in particular could be tighter than anticipated and senior Republicans warned of a potential upset.
Underscoring the jitters in the party, Trump last week pulled the nomination of New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik as UN ambassador over fears that the race to replace her could also prove tight.
“We want to be careful . . . I think it’s just security,” Trump said of the Stefanik decision on Monday, conceding the race to replace Waltz was “a little bit close”.
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