Voters Weigh In on Trump, Musk, Future of Country in Florida, Wisconsin Races

Florida and Wisconsin voters took to the polls to decide races of national significance as well as state and local matters on April 1.

In Florida, the First and Sixth congressional districts, recently vacated by Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), respectively, were in a pair of special elections.

Republicans hope to retain their slim majority in the U.S. House by keeping hold of both Florida districts. Democrats hope a strong showing, especially in the Sixth District, will bode well for their chances of retaking the House in 2026.

Meanwhile, the race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court drew wide attention because of large donations from out-of-state interests made on behalf of candidates Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel, with total expenditures reaching $98 million.

The Epoch Times spoke with voters in both states to gauge their thoughts on the candidates and the key issues.

Florida 1st District

In the Florida Panhandle, Republican Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer and fire marshal, has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. He faced Democratic candidate Gay Valimont, who lost to Gaetz in November 2024.

Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly two to one in the district.

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However, Valimont raised $6.4 million compared with Patronis’s $1.2 million.

Carlton Henderson, a businessman in Milton, told The Epoch Times he supports Patronis but credits Valimont’s efforts to convince her fellow Floridians. “I think her campaign message has been captivating,” he said. “I wouldn’t underestimate her.”

Voter traffic appeared to be consistent at precincts across the district, but the special election clashed with ordinary events in some areas. At a recreation center in Fort Walton Beach, which served as both a polling station and the site of youth baseball games, players’ families and voters clogged the parking lot to overflowing.

Florida 6th District

Residents in Florida’s Sixth Congressional District—which stretches from near Jacksonville to the Daytona Beach area—faced a choice between Republican state Sen. Randy Fine and Democrat Joshua Weil.

Some voters expressed concern over the direction of the country, including Daniel Hulse, 57, of Daytona Beach. Hulse is a lifelong Republican frustrated with the state of his party.

“They went to ‘hell in a handbasket’ years ago, soon as [Trump] got into office,” Hulse told The Epoch Times.

Hulse supported former Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) in his 2012 presidential bid but is backing Weil over Fine.

Hulse said he is concerned about the spending cuts recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, which he fears will eventually affect entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicaid.

Barbara Bay of St. Augustine, who also supports Weil, said she fears Congress isn’t exercising authority over Musk’s work.

“Congress needs to be Congress again and needs to check Trump right now,” she told The Epoch Times. “Everybody’s not checking the executive branch, and Congress has gone to lunch.”

Claire Southerland of St. Augustine, a Weil supporter, told The Epoch Times that the country “desperately need[s] to restore checks and balances in our democracy.”

Deborah Pavelle, also a Weil voter from St. Augustine, said she is most concerned about the president’s executive actions.

“Almost everything that Trump is currently doing is anathema to me,” she told The Epoch Times. “I am appalled that he cut the U.S. aid to the rest of the world. There is no kindness or compassion in this government.”

Others, such as Ricky Webb, 65, and Julia Webb, 59, said they felt better about the country’s direction and supported Fine.

“[Republicans] need more breathing room” in Congress, Webb told The Epoch Times.

George Armstrong, 70, of Holly Hill, said he felt the country is “going great” now that Trump is back in office.

“I know a lot of people are upset because he’s going slow on the economy, but I expect it to take a year to get it all going,” Armstrong told The Epoch Times.

Mike Stabile, a Fine voter from St. Augustine, said he was frustrated over Democrats’ claim that Republicans would attack Social Security. He also expressed support for the administration’s efforts in reducing federal spending amid record national debt.

“Every election, they do that trying to scare people,” he told The Epoch Times. “A lot of people don’t realize we can’t keep on this path. We’re $36 trillion in debt.”

Wisconsin

Many voters in Wisconsin’s Brown and Kewaunee counties were driven go to the polls on April 1 by a sense of responsibility, saying they had consistently voted since becoming eligible.

“It’s your civic duty to go vote,” Phil Cigler, 44, of Green Bay, told The Epoch Times. “You can’t complain if you don’t participate.”

Adam Funk, 45, of Green Bay, was motivated to vote by the race between Crawford and Schimel. “The state Supreme Court is important for all of the things that are coming up that we’re voting on,” Funk told The Epoch Times after casting his ballot.

Katie Harvey, 32, of Green Bay, told The Epoch Times she “came out to vote for Crawford.”

“She’s got real awesome ideas and potential, and she’s really here for the community and the people,” she said.

Harvey also said she was motivated by the school board race in her district.

Funk and Harvey were among the few who directly mentioned the Wisconsin Supreme Court contest. Others spoke in less direct terms about frustration with the country’s direction or specific issues, including abortion access and campaign financing.

Kyle Thomas, 64, of Ashwaubenon, told The Epoch Times he votes in every election, but “it’s getting harder and harder with all the political [nonsense].”

“Changes [have] got to be made about how these campaigns are funded,” Thomas said.

Musk drew wide attention for spending some $14 million in support of Schimel.

A few voters were more pointed in their criticism of Musk, including Fred Haworth, 77, of Green Bay, who alleged that Musk is illegally “buying votes.”

“I don’t know how we can allow it,” Haworth told The Epoch Times.

Musk had given $1 million each to two Wisconsinites who had signed a petition opposing judicial activism.

The Epoch Times witnessed at least two voters who took advantage of Wisconsin’s same-day voter registration law. One was Eden Legare, 18, a first-time voter from Green Bay who said it felt “pretty good” to cast his ballot.

Roughly $45 million has been spent supporting Crawford, whose donors include billionaires George Soros, Reid Hoffman, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, while $53 million has been spent supporting Schimel.