Jimmy Patronis coasts to victory in CD 1 Special Election, fending off deluge of Democrat dollars

Patronis outpaces rivals in CD 1 special election with over $700,000 cash on hand.

Republican Jimmy Patronis has secured a seat in Congress, beating Democrat Gay Valimont despite an unexpected surge of spending by the Democrat. That means Patronis will succeed former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, keeping Florida’s 1st Congressional District in Republican hands.

But the race proved only slightly tighter expected as Valimont won her home terrain of Escambia County.

With all votes counted in the district outside of Escambia County, Patronis led with nearly 57% of the vote while Valimont pulled in just over 42%. Stephen Brody, a candidate running without party affiliation, also claimed about 1% of the vote.

“Thank you, Northwest Florida,” Patronis said. “Not all districts are built the same; the Panhandle is a force of its own. I’m going to Washington to help President Trump battle against all this far left insanity… to buttress his strong moves to return common sense to America… to pull our country out of the ditch. I like to think that when President Trump says ‘Make America Great Again,’ he’s thinking about us. I am humbled by all of the support in this race. I’m no better than anyone else and I will do everything I can to represent this district.”

The results aren’t a huge surprise. No congressional district in Florida boasts a stronger track record of Republican support than CD 1. In November, Valimont lost to Gaetz by 36 percentage points, as the district broke for President Donald Trump by 38 points.

But this time, as Democrats nationwide sought an outlet to express outrage at Trump’s return to Washington, small-dollar donors piled into the Special Election. Valimont raised upward of $6.5 million in donations as of March 12, while Patronis reported more than $2 million in contributions. With that money, Democrats hoped to beat historic trends to win — or at least to send a message to Washington about discontent within the electorate, even in Trump country.

Patronis, for his part, remained confident throughout that the values of Panhandle voters would translate into election results. On the eve of the election, he told Florida Politics that voters in CD 1 want to empower Trump’s agenda, not cripple it.

“These are the same folks that less than six months ago overwhelmingly voted to elect President Donald J. Trump to the White House,” Patronis said.

“They were fed up the last four years. They were fed up with the inflation crisis. They were fed up with being poor. They wanted a government that was responsible to the people, and this is why they showed up the way they did. So you know, they’re going to expect government that’s going to be effective and responsive to their needs. This is what they’re going to get with me.”

Valimont said voters in the district deserved a change. After the election, she provided the following statement to Florida Politics, claiming a spiritual victory even as a seat in Congress remained out of reach.

“Today, we conclude a campaign that was built on the belief that every voice matters,” Valimont said. “While the results were not what we hoped for, I am proud of the journey we’ve taken and the conversations I have had over the last 20 months. This is hard, but this is how we change things, it takes time. My opponent now must attempt to represent the people of this district after not having the decency to campaign here or have any policy points he put forth. I plan to attend his first town hall with interest since we are yet to hear about his plans for Florida’s First.”

Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power cheered vitcories in for both Patronis and Republican Randy Fine in Florida’s 6th Congressional District.

“Florida Republicans deliver. Our voters sent a strong message they support President Trump,” Power said.

Patronis has served most of the last decade as Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, a post he had to resign from as of Monday to run for the U.S. House. Valimont has been involved in politics as an activist, including working for Moms Demand Action to find ways to curb gun violence.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried canvassed in Pensacola on Tuesday, and along with Valimont spotlighted a redirection of voters in an heavily Democratic precinct in Escambia County to a different location to vote than in November, something the party characterized as “voter suppression.”

But the votes affected there were a small number compared to Patronis’ margin of victory. He also saw the party step in and help after Democrats poured money into the Panhandle race.

Trump, who endorsed Patronis before entering the race, held a tele-rally for the Panama City Republican this weekend. Republican Party of Florida Executive Director Bill Helmich said party volunteers made 200,000 phone calls in this race and another Special Election being held Tuesday.

Fried said the margins of victory show the Florida Democratic Party actually have momentum, and cited similar over-performance in both districts up for vote Tuesday..

“Florida Democrats just put the Republican Party on notice,” Fried said. “Tonight’s results represent a historic overperformance for Democrats and show that voters are already rejecting Trump’s extreme agenda.  Though we came up short in these reliably red districts, a double digit swing tonight serves as a warning to Republicans in Congress. There are no ‘safe’ seats in Florida in 2026. Any Republican in a Trump +15 seat or closer should be scared about their re-election chances.

“I want to thank Gay Valimont and Josh Weil — as well as their teams and the local county parties supporting their efforts — for running sophisticated campaigns to bring these races down to the wire. Their fundraising and organizing efforts showed the country that Florida is worth fighting for, and because of them, Florida Democrats have momentum heading into the 2026 midterms. Their work will reverberate in their districts for years to come.”

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin also gleaned hope from Valimont’s performance.

“Congratulations to Gay Valimont on running a strong campaign that will make a difference for Florida’s 1st Congressional District for years to come,” Martin said.

“Her massive overperformance in a Trump +37 district is the best performance for Democrats in the district this century and spells trouble for Republicans everywhere. Valimont made critical inroads in this deeply red district and showed Republicans that, even in a place Trump won by nearly 40 points, this seat would not be handed to them. I thank Gay Valimont for her leadership and for once again stepping up to run in a difficult district. Make no mistake: The momentum is on our side. Democrats have overperformed in 15 out of 16 special elections this year. Democrats are going to keep winning races and – ultimately – take back the House next year.”

But U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Naples Republican who first appointed Patronis to statewide office, saw both victories as evidence Florida has become a red state for the long run.

“Despite the efforts of Democrats, the media, and some Republicans, Randy FIne and Jimmy Patronis had huge wins tonight,” Scott posted on X. “Dems spent $20 million and put the full force of the national party behind their efforts. It didn’t work. They tried to say Florida was in play in my race in November. It wasn’t. And it still isn’t. Florida voters showed tonight that President Donald Trump’s policies are working and are popular and his endorsed candidates are strong.”

Trump posted himself that the wins in Florida both validate the voters remain on his side.

“Both Florida House seats have been won, big, by the Republican candidate,” Trump posted. “The Trump endorsement, as always, proved far greater than the Democrats forces of evil. Congratulations to America.”