On April 1, Florida will hold two special elections to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seats in the first and sixth congressional districts.
Representative Mike Waltz vacated the 6th district seat to serve as National Security Advisor under President Donald Trump’s Administration. Matt Gaetz of the 1st congressional district resigned from Congress in November after being nominated for Attorney General. However, he later withdrew his name from consideration amid bipartisan pressure surrounding the release of a House Ethics Committee report on his alleged sexual misconduct.
Florida’s first congressional district is comprised of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and western portions of Walton County. Florida’s sixth congressional district stretches from the southern outskirts of Jacksonville to South Daytona, including Flagler, Putnam, and parts of Lake Marion, St. Johns, and Volusia County.
Republicans currently hold a minor majority within the House, with 218 seats presently filled by Republican representatives and 215 by Democrats. These historically red seats being up for grabs could potentially eat into the already slight Republican House control. This may be exactly the Hail Mary Democrats need to combat the Trump administration.
- District 1 Candidates
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Gay Valimont is the democratic candidate for FL-01. Valimont is a former athletic trainer who became a full-time gun-control activist following the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which killed 20 children and six adults. Her leadership within the Florida grassroots organization “Florida’s Moms Demand Action” saw a 400% membership increase, and the group fought to create effective gun-control legislation. Valimont’s central campaign issues are the expansion of healthcare access, the protection of Social Security and Medicare, the lowering of insurance costs, and bringing a full-time VA hospital to Florida’s first district.
The Republican candidate for the 1st congressional district is the Trump-endorsed Jimmy Patronis. Patronis has served as Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, State Fire Marshal, and member of the Florida Cabinet since 2017. He was also a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2006 to 2014. Patronis has stated he’ll work to protect veteran benefits and uphold Trump’s tax cut and border policies.
Additionally, Stephen Broden will appear on the ballot representing the Constitution Party. Broden was formerly the Republican candidate for Texas’s 30th congressional district in 2010 but now works as a pastor at Fair Park Bible Fellowship. While not outwardly stating his key issues during this election cycle, Broden has been a career-long advocate for Judeo-Christian values in government, state rights, and the protection of the Second Amendment. He has also been an outspoken critic of abortion.
- District 6 Candidates
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The Democratic candidate for the 6th congressional district is Josh Weil. Weil is a public school teacher who was motivated to run for office by his two sons and his students after seeing his local community severely impacted by natural disasters and recent inflation. The main focuses of Weil’s campaign are protecting the environment, improving the public school education system, eliminating inflation, securing the border, and lowering drug prices.
Running against Weil is Republican Randy Fine. Fine was previously an executive for casino gambling companies Harrah’s Entertainment and American Casino & Entertainment Properties. He then served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2016 to 2024 and currently resides in the Florida Senate. Like the FL-01 candidate Patronis, Fine has also been endorsed by Trump. Fine’s central campaign topics are border security, reducing traffic through infrastructure investment, cracking down on voter fraud, showing support for law enforcement, protecting the Second Amendment, and further limiting access to abortion.
- How to Vote
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The deadline to register in both districts is March 3, and the last day to request a mail-in ballot is March 20. While the official election day is April 1, the period for early voting takes place from March 22 through March 29 at any designated voting site.
If you are unsure what voting sites will be available during this time, click your county name on the official Florida Department of State Voter Precinct Look-Up to see available locations.
With the balance of power in the U.S. House at stake, these special elections could have a significant impact on this nation’s political landscape. Whether you want to maintain Republican control or potentially chip away at the current majority, if you are able, make your voice heard!