Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said he expects Florida state Sen. Randy Fine, the Republican candidate running in the April 1 special election for national security adviser Mike Waltz‘s congressional seat, to underperform.
The Florida governor said it is “almost impossible” for a Republican to lose the district Fine is running for, but said the state senator would not beat his Democratic counterpart by the same margin he won it by in 2022, and President Donald Trump won it by in 2024.
“Regardless of the outcome in that, it’s going to be a way underperformance from what I won that district by in 2022 and what the president won it by in November,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “They’re going to try to lay that at the feet of President Trump. That is not a reflection of President Trump. It’s a reflection of a specific candidate running in that race.”
DeSantis and Fine’s relationship turned sour during the 2024 presidential campaign when Fine switched his endorsement from DeSantis to Trump. DeSantis called Fine’s maneuver an “act of political theater.”
Fine, a former gambling executive who has served in the Florida Senate since last year, received backing from Trump, Waltz, and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in the special election after Walz was tapped to serve as Trump’s national security adviser.
Both Trump and Waltz carried the 6th Congressional District by over 30 points in the 2024 election, but DeSantis raised doubts that Fine would be able to win by those margins.
“If President Trump were on the ballot in this special election, he would win by 30 points, no question,” DeSantis said. “It’s a candidate-specific issue. I think the district is so overwhelmingly Republican that it’s almost impossible for someone with an R by their name to lose that district. So, I would anticipate a Republican candidate is still going to be successful. Do I think they will get even close to the margins that I received or the president received? No.”
Democratic candidate Josh Weil outpaced Fine in fundraising, with recent filings showing Weil raking in nearly $10 million. Meanwhile, Fine brought in $561,000.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) raised concerns on Monday about Fine’s lackluster fundraising efforts.
“He needs to do better,” Hudson said. “But we’re going to win that seat. I would have preferred if our candidate had raised money at a faster rate and gotten on TV quicker. But he’s doing what he needs to do.”
Florida voters will also be voting to fill former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s seat after he resigned while pursuing a bid to be Trump’s attorney general. Republicans have also raised fundraising concerns in that race as Democratic candidate Gay Valimont outperformed Republican candidate Jimmy Patronis.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) donated to both Valimont and Weil’s campaigns and said it’s a surprise to see this special election pick up national attention.
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“These are races that should not, under ordinary circumstances, be on anyone’s political radar,” Jeffries said at his weekly press conference on Monday. “They are safe Republican seats… [but] the American people are not buying what the Republicans are selling. That is why they are on the run.”
Florida’s special elections will be held on April 1.
