Republican state Sen. Randy Fine has been declared the winner of a special election to fill the congressional seat vacated by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, defeating Democrat Josh Weil in Florida's 6th Congressional District.
Waltz overwhelmingly won the ruby-red district by 30 points in November before becoming President Donald Trump’s national security adviser. But despite Waltz’s double-digit lead five months ago, Republicans on Capitol Hill feared that anger over the Trump administration’s policies could spill over into the Florida special election and help Democrats flip the House seat.
But that was not to be, with the race being called early Tuesday evening by CNN.
"RANDY FINE WINS!!!" Trump celebrated to his Truth Social platform.
The race was one of several on Tuesday night that reeling Democrats hoped could prove to be a bellwether for the anti-Trump sentiment sweeping the nation.
ALSO READ:'Not much I can do': GOP senator gives up fight against Trump's tariffs
Weil, a public school teacher, shifted that energy into a massive fundraising advantage, raking in millions of dollars over his Republican opponent in a race the New York Times dubbed “the unlikely scene of a multimillion-dollar spending brawl.”
The outcome of the election secured one more seat for Republicans' narrow 218-213 House majority.