Anthony Sabatini won’t run in CD 6 Special Election

Anthony Sabatini. Image via Colin Hackley.

Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini won’t run for Congress to replace U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz.

The Lake County Republican Party Chair announced in a post on X he will not run in a Special Election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District. To run in the election, which was called on Monday, Sabatini would have needed to resign from a seat he just won on the County Commission.

“Although we need better people in Congress (85% are limp-wristed RINOs and/or Anti-American communists), with 63 days until the primary, I don’t have enough time to run due to my current trial calendar & county commission schedule,” Sabatini wrote in a lengthy X post.

“I will be running for a different congressional seat in future with which I have deeper ties — and continuing my service as a Lake County Commissioner in the meantime.”

The former state Representative hinted at potentially running again in the Lake County-centered Florida’s 11th Congressional District. He ran there this election cycle against U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, a Clermont Republican, but dropped out after now-President-elect Donald Trump endorsed the incumbent.

When he left the federal race, Sabatini challenged incumbent Lake County Commissioner Doug Shields, whom he defeated in a Republican Primary in August.

Sabatini said then he disagreed with Trump’s endorsement but understood the power it wielded. He again criticized Trump’s judgment after the incoming President endorsed state Sen. Randy Fine for the CD 6 Special Election, a choice Sabatini attacked while saying he would not run.

Sabatini called Fine, who announced his candidacy today, a “sweaty America-last RINO” who supports gun control and hate speech restrictions.

“I’ve heard several names of VERY solid people who are considering getting in the race who I will be happy to help to the utmost of my ability as the Chairman of the Lake County Republican Party, as I know our party will endorse against Fine (he is despised here),” Sabatini said. “We don’t need more RINOs in Congress.”

The Special Election will choose a successor for Waltz, Trump’s choice for National Security Adviser.

A Primary in CD 6 will be held Jan. 28, with a Special General Election scheduled for April 1.

This race likely will be decided in the Republican Primary for all practical purposes. Waltz won CD 6 with 66% of the vote this year, and in 2022 did even better, winning with more than 75% of the vote. Nearly 46% of the electorate is registered to the Republican Party. Meanwhile, less than 27% of voters are Democrats, according to the most recent L2 voter data.