WASHINGTON — Republicans managed to hold onto two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in special elections held in Florida on Tuesday. But Democrats notched a win in Wisconsin, where the party’s endorsed judge won a seat on the state Supreme Court.
Republican Randy Fine beat out Democratic nominee Josh Weil in Florida’s 6th District. Fine was defending a seat held by former Rep. Mike Waltz, who resigned his seat to become the National Security Adviser in the Trump administration.
In Florida’s 1st Congressional District, Republican Jimmy Patronis defeated Democrat Gay Valimont, holding onto the seat formerly held by Rep. Matt Gaetz. Gaetz was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the U.S. Attorney General, but Trump later rescinded Gaetz’s nomination due to objections in the GOP-led Senate.
Both Fine and Patronis were sworn in by Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday evening during a pro forma session in the House.
The pair will begin their congressional careers in earnest when the House returns on Monday. They enter during a contentious week as leadership attempts to shoot down a bipartisan proposal to allow new parents to vote by proxy.
Republicans were favored to win both seats, although the closeness of the races led to concern as the GOP looked to bolster its historically slim majority in the lower chamber.
The Democratic candidate running for Waltz’s seat made the race more competitive than GOP leaders expected — prompting an 11th-hour blitz from Republicans, including Trump, to urge voter turnout in the red district.
Recent polling showed only a few points between Fine and Weil in a district Trump won by more than 30 points in November.
“America First Patriot Randy Fine is running to represent the Wonderful People of Florida’s 6th Congressional District! A highly successful, Harvard educated businessman, and greatly respected State Legislator, Randy has been a tremendous Voice for MAGA,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday. “Randy Fine has my Complete and Total Endorsement! Election Day is TODAY. GET OUT AND VOTE FOR RANDY — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”
Fine projected confidence in his chances, acknowledging the race would come down to a numbers game.
“This is a turnout election, and if our side turns out, we will win,” Fine said last week. “It’s that simple, because there’s so many more of us. This isn’t a swing seat. If the Trump army turns out, I’ll win, and I think they will.”
Trump also endorsed Patronis. The 1st District seat was not of much concern for Republicans because Trump won the district with 68% in November.
Ahead of Tuesday’s election, Republicans held a slim House majority, 218-213. Even losing one of the two seats could have made it much harder for the GOP to pass legislation — something that has already been a challenge.
Once the elections are finalized, the two new lawmakers will be sworn in as early as next week, bringing the total number of House members to 433. The two seats that remain vacant were held by Sylvester Turner and Raul Grijalva, two Democrats who died last month.
Wisconsin Supreme Court race
In Wisconsin, the candidate endorsed by the Democratic Party won a seat on the state Supreme Court, in what was the most expensive U.S. court race on record after more than $90 million was spent, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
Judge Susan Crawford won the seat, after raising more money than any judicial candidate in history, according to The New York Times.
The Trump-backed candidate, Brad Schimel, received a late fundraising boost from billionaire Elon Musk, who poured millions into the race to back the former Wisconsin attorney general. But it wasn’t enough to pull ahead of Crawford, a county judge who was backed by former President Barack Obama and billionaire George Soros.
Crawford’s win guaranteed liberal justices maintained a 4-3 majority on the court, which is expected to weigh in on a number of high-profile issues, including abortion, voting rules, public sector unions, redistricting and more.
Contributing: Suzanne Bates