Candidates muscle over residency, party rules in CD 6 race

Image via AP.

An opening for the seat in Florida’s 6th Congressional District has candidates clamoring for voter attention. And on the Democratic side, a dispute over legal qualifications has already resulted in one candidate dropping out.

A Special Election to replace U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for National Security Adviser, hasn’t drawn the same number of candidates as a similar contest in the Panhandle.

Three Republicans qualified for a Jan. 28 Primary in the right-leaning seat. The most prominent among those is state Sen. Randy Fine, a Palm Bay Republican who boasts Trump’s endorsement for the open seat. He said the reception to his candidacy by voters so far has been warm.

“It’s been incredibly positive,” Fine said. “When I start by telling folks President Trump asked me to run, they are in. When I then share that I made my reputation in the Legislature as a conservative warrior unafraid to take on the most important — and controversial issues — they know why he did.”

Fine faces two other Republicans: Aaron Baker of Sorrento and Ehsen Joarder of Brooksville.

Baker acknowledges the Trump endorsement of Fine may well have scared other Republican candidates out of the contest, and suggests he may not have run if Ernest Audino, a retired Brigadier General and Waltz’s district director, had stayed in the race.

But Baker said he may have an advantage as the only candidate living in CD 6 when he qualified.

“I’m going to see how many miles I can drive between now and Jan. 28,” he said. “Of course, it’s easier for me because I live here.”

Baker grew up in Lakeland but now lives in east Lake County. He has worked in politics, most recently for a Republican early voting effort led by Scott Pressler in Pennsylvania.

Baker is focused on issues like infrastructure. He has focused on some hyperlocal issues, noting Volusia County has significant concerns about flooding while Ormand Beach wants to move a fuel terminal and Marion County must contend with growing road demands as The Villages grows. Working in the contractor world, Baker said that experience will help him advocate for the region.

Joarder, an entrepreneur and son of immigrants who founded Joarder Enterprises, has sold himself as a family man deserving of elevation to Congress. As he campaigns over the holiday season, he has used his Facebook to share family videos from vacations. “It is our duty to raise the next generation of leaders — gentlemen with strength, integrity, and heart,” he posted.

While those three candidates face each other in a Republican Primary, a Democratic field has already somewhat winnowed. Democrat Jurvi Bangdiwali withdrew from the race on Dec. 27. She did so after opponent Ges Selmont raised concerns about whether Bangdiwali had been registered as a Democrat for the required 360 days to be eligible to run in a Democratic Primary.

Selmont, an Elkton resident, said he is largely waiting until January to start a campaign in earnest. He plans to hold a formal campaign launch on Jan. 2.  The businessman previously ran in 2018 against U.S. Rep. John Rutherford.

Also in the running in the Democratic Primary is Josh Weil of Orlando. He notably is already focused on a particular Republican in the April 1 Special General Election. “I’m not just running against Randy Fine, I’m running for Floridians,” his campaign website reads, “to fix our healthcare, to reset our economy, to protect our environment.”

The race will be a challenge for any Democratic candidate. 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.

Winners of both Primaries will advance to the April 1 General Election and also face Libertarian Andrew Parrott and no-party candidate Randall Terry, along with a write-in candidate.