The victory gives Republicans one additional seat in Congress, bringing their majority to 219–213.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Republican state Sen. Randy Fine beat Democrat Joshua Weil in Florida’s 6th Congressional District in a special election on Tuesday to replace Michael Waltz, who is now President Donald Trump’s national security adviser.
Fine’s win, which increases the GOP’s majority in Congress to 219–213, was called at 7:33 p.m. ET with Fine clinching more than 53 percent of the roughly 144,000 votes cast. Polls closed at 7 p.m. ET.
The seat became available after Trump selected Waltz to join his Cabinet shortly after winning his second term as president. Waltz had won his own re-election last November by a margin of more than 30 percent over his challenger, Democrat James Stockton.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Republican state Sen. Randy Fine beat Democrat Joshua Weil in Florida’s 6th Congressional District in a special election on Tuesday to replace Michael Waltz, who is now President Donald Trump’s national security adviser.
Fine’s win, which increases the GOP’s majority in Congress to 219–213, was called at 7:33 p.m. ET with Fine clinching more than 53 percent of the roughly 144,000 votes cast. Polls closed at 7 p.m. ET.
The seat became available after Trump selected Waltz to join his Cabinet shortly after winning his second term as president. Waltz had won his own re-election last November by a margin of more than 30 percent over his challenger, Democrat James Stockton.
The Democratic National Committee had invested in both races, funding more than 200 poll watchers and Election Day greeters throughout the two districts.
Voters in District 6 who spoke to The Epoch Times were split on the direction the country is headed.
Some expressed deep concerns with Trump. Daniel Hulse, 57, of Daytona Beach, is a lifelong Republican but says he is frustrated with his party.
“They went to ‘hell in a handbasket’ years ago, soon as [Trump] got into office,” Hulse told The Epoch Times.
Hulse supported former Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) in the 2012 presidential election and backed Weil over Fine. He said his biggest concerns are the spending cuts recommended by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which he says he fears will eventually affect entitlements such as Social Security and Medicaid.
By Jacob Burg
