'That’s not good': Republicans nervous as Tuesday election looms

On Tuesday, all eyes will be on Florida where a vote to fill a seat in the House of Representatives will already be viewed as a referendum on the job Donald Trump is doing in his second term.

According to a report from the New York Times, what should be a walk in the park for Republicans in a solidly conservative district in Florida has some political observers watching anxiously that the seat could flip to Democrats, thereby complicating the job of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) already clinging to a slim majority margin.

At issue is the seat once occupied by ex-Rep. Mike Waltz (R) who has moved on to become Trump's national security adviser, only to be caught up in a major scandal over a Signal chat about war plans that was shared with journalist Jeffrey Goldberg.

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As the Times is reporting, growing anger with Trump's efforts to gut the government combined with the Waltz scandal is making the race between Republican State Senator Randy Fine and public school employee Josh Weil, a Democrat, tighter than Republicans would like.

With polls showing a tightening in the race for Fine who is expected to win, GOP voter Frank Curnow, a retired Navy veteran, was told by poll workers about the closeness of the race and responded, "That's not good."

According to the Times, "Mr. Fine, who is facing Josh Weil, a Democrat and public school employee, is still widely favored to win. But with Republicans clinging to their House majority by just a few seats, it was clear this week that voters in the district are thinking about what the outcome of the race — and of another race for former Representative Matt Gaetz’s seat in the Florida Panhandle — could mean for Mr. Trump’s agenda."

It is not just voters in the district who are concerned, with the Times reporting that conservative gadfly Steve Bannon recently commented, "We have a candidate that I don’t think is winning."

The report continued, "In interviews this week, loyal Republicans in the district were largely complimentary of Mr. Trump’s first few months in office. They praised him for his aggressive immigration enforcement and applauded the deep cuts to the federal work force. Their vote for Mr. Fine, they said, would send a message that Mr. Trump’s actions so far are what they wanted. Leaders in both parties 'all talk about making cuts but none of them do it, and Trump is the first one to actually do it,' said Greg Bohr, 74, a Palm Coast retiree. 'My theory is, give the guy a chance.'"

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