Nine candidates qualify for race to replace Mike Waltz in CD 6

Multiple Republicans and Democrats will be joined by more marginal candidates in the battle to replace former U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, who is currently slated to be President-elect Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser.

The qualification deadline of noon Saturday has passed, and the field is finalized for the Special Election in East-Central Florida’s 6th Congressional District.

Of the nine candidates in the mix, three are Republicans, and one in particular has the most significant advantage in the Primary.

Aaron Baker of Sorrento and Ehsan Joarder of Brooksville will face off against state Sen. Randy Fine of Brevard County.

Fine, elected in November after serving four terms in the Florida House, has earned endorsements from President-elect Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Sen. Rick Scott, and the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, among others.

He has the advantage against his two opponents, who are comparatively unknown and inexperienced politically.

Multiple Democratic candidates are also presenting themselves for voters.

Daytona Beach’s Purvi Bangdiwala, Elkton’s George Selmont, and Orlando’s Josh Weil are all on the ballot.

Selmont has run for Congress before.

In 2018, he lost to Rep. John Rutherford in Florida’s 4th Congressional District, getting 32% of the vote in a heavily Republican area that included much of Duval County and part of St. Johns.

Other candidates will advance automatically to the General Election ballot.

Chuck Sheridan of Merritt Island will be a write-in, while 2024 presidential candidate Randall Terry will run as a no-party candidate. Andrew Parrott will run under the Libertarian banner.

This race will likely be decided in the Republican Primary. Nearly 46% of the electorate is registered to the Republican Party. Meanwhile, fewer than 27% of voters are Democrats, according to the most recent L2 voter data.

The Primary is set for Jan. 28, with a Special General Election scheduled for April 1, a day after Fine’s last day in the Senate.