A.G. Gancarski
Consolidation continues around a state Senator in an east coast Special Election.
U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, who is leaving his seat in Florida’s 6th Congressional District to join the Donald Trump administration as National Security Adviser, is getting in behind Randy Fine as his preferred replacement.
“Working with President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, I know Randy will deliver results for our region, our state and our great nation,” Waltz posted to social media.
Fine thanked Waltz for his “trust and confidence.”
“I have incredibly big shoes to fill. Trump could have picked no one better to be his National Security Adviser and my family is grateful for your continued service to our country,” Fine posted.
CD 6 includes Daytona as its major metro, extending into St. Johns County to the north and toward Gainesville and Ocala to the west.
Fine, a Trump-backed candidate who served eight years in the Florida House before getting elected to the Senate in November, faces two opponents in the Jan. 28 Primary.
Both of them have attacked Fine personally.
Aaron Baker has said Trump didn’t know what he was doing when he endorsed Fine, blaming incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for confusing the President-elect.
Ehsan Joarder, who finished in a distant third place in a Primary for a different congressional seat last year, has issued antisemitic attacks on Fine.
Democrats Ges Selmont and Josh Weil are running as well, and the winner of that Primary will face off against the GOP nominee in the April 1 General Election. Other minor candidates will also be on the ballot.
But the landscape favors the Republican candidate.
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.
