What to Know About Florida’s Special Primary Elections 👉 Updatem News

Trump-endorsed candidates face challengers within their own party in primaries in the seats vacated by Reps. Gaetz and Waltz.

Florida voters, who recently represented in Washington by former Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Michael Waltz, took the first step toward choosing their replacements by taking part in primary elections on Jan. 28.

First announced in November 2024, the primaries are being held in Florida’s first and sixth congressional districts, with only the voters of those districts able to cast a vote.

Both districts are strongly Republican, with Gaetz and Waltz each winning reelection on Nov. 5, 2024, by more than 60 percent of the vote, and President Donald Trump has endorsed his candidates for both districts.

However, the candidates still head into the day facing challengers.

Trump’s Picks

The president endorsed Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s current chief financial officer and fire marshal, to replace Gaetz and current state Rep. Randy Fine to replace Waltz.

“Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “As your next Congressman, Jimmy will work tirelessly alongside of me to Grow our Economy, Secure our Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Secure our Border, Strengthen our Brave Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”

Regarding Fine, who spent his final campaign hours in Tallahassee to partake in a special session of the Florida Legislature, Trump said he had been a “tremendous voice for MAGA.”

“In Congress, Randy will be an incredible fighter who will work tirelessly with me to Stop Inflation, Grow our Economy, Secure the Border, Champion our Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, Protect our always under siege Second Amendment, and Restore PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Replacing Matt Gaetz

While Trump’s endorsement caused some candidates to withdraw, Patronis still faces a field of nine other Republican candidates in the primary, including multiple veterans and those who claim to be Trump allies despite challenging his pick.

Aaron Dimmock is a retired Navy Commander whose 20 years of service included that of a naval aviator, flying with Patrol Squadron 10, conducting missions over Bosnia, surveillance and reconnaissance missions over Ground Zero after 9/11, and leading anti-cartel missions in the Gulf of Mexico, according to his website. He is a husband, father of four, and self-declared pro-Trump candidate who attempted a run to unseat Gaetz in the lead-up to the November elections.

Dr. Joel Rudman is a physician and now-former state representative who resigned from his post in Tallahassee to run in the special election. Touting an agenda focused on America-first policies, anti-illegal immigration, and fixing the economy, Rudman’s campaign website states, “President Trump needs a foot soldier in Congress to help carry his America First agenda forward. Dr. Joel Rudman will be that soldier!”

Meanwhile, Michael Thompson has campaigned as a politician who will put America first while also remaining independent of Trump’s agenda.

“Respectfully, I don’t think any U.S. Representative should ‘work for’ the President,” he wrote on X on Jan. 25. “Work with him, advise him, yes and yes. Once elected, my bosses are the people in my district and the only people I ‘work for,’ full stop.”

On the Democrat side, Gay Valimont is the sole candidate, making another attempt to secure Gaetz’s former seat despite losing the Nov. 5 election by more than 30 percent of the vote.

Replacing Michael Waltz

Meanwhile, Fine is facing two other Republican challengers in Florida’s sixth congressional district.

Aaron Baker is originally from Lakeland, Florida, and touts himself as being “grassroots supported” rather than “establishment owned” and as the only candidate currently living and working in the district.

“Over the past four years, I’ve witnessed how disconnected leadership can devastate the very communities it’s meant to serve,” he said on his website. “That’s why I firmly believe President Trump has the vision and determination to improve the day-to-day lives of all Americans.”

Ehsan Joarder is a 35-year-old entrepreneur and father of three. The son of immigrant parents from Bangladesh states on his website, “I bring a unique perspective as someone who has experienced the American Dream firsthand and is committed to ensuring it remains attainable for all.”

Joarder seeks to portray himself as an America-first grassroots-supported candidate, calling Fine “the epitome of an establishment candidate” in a post on X.

He also appears to separate himself from the GOP’s position on Israel, sharing posts on X that criticize both Fine and Patronis for being “endorsed by the pro-Israel lobby.”

Florida’s sixth congressional district also has a Democratic primary featuring Ges Selmot and Joshua Weil.

Selmot’s campaign appeared to try and appeal to small business owners, seeing the elimination of red tape as one of the ways to lower costs of living and doing business.

“Starting a business shouldn’t be harder than running one,” he wrote on X. ”We need to take steps to make permits, taxes, and hiring easier for small business owners.”

Meanwhile, Weil is a public school teacher who seeks to fight against the slim Republican majority’s mission to, in his words, “dismantle the Department of Education, overturn the Affordable Care Act, and enact a federal ban on abortion rights and women’s access to health care.”

Weil’s campaign was notably absent from X and instead imparted its messaging on the left-wing alternative platform, Bluesky.

After the Primary

Polls opened at 7 a.m. local time on Jan. 28, with opportunities for early voting taking place the previous week. They will remain open until 7 p.m. local time, which means those for Florida’s first congressional district will close at 8 p.m. ET.

As of Jan. 24, more than 11,000 ballots were already cast in FL-1’s Republican primary and almost 17,000 ballots for FL-6’s Republican primary, according to the Associated Press. FL-6’s Democratic primary had nearly 10,000 ballots already cast.

The GOP outnumbers Democrats almost 3-to-1 one in the Panhandle district, according to the Associated Press, with roughly 301,000 actively registered Republican voters to roughly 117,000 actively registered Democrats as of October 2024.

That GOP majority is also nearly 2-to-1 in FL-6, which, as of October 2024, featured about 262,000 Republicans and about 138,000 Democrats.

By order of the Secretary of State, the primary results will be certified by Feb. 11, and a general election will be held on April 1.

Mail-in ballots for the general election will begin distribution on Feb. 15, and early voting opportunities are scheduled for March 22 through March 29.

There will also be several candidates for both elections on the general election ballots who did not have to face a primary against party challengers.

In FL-6, those candidates are Libertarian Andrew Parrott, Independent write-in Chuck Sheridan, and Randall Terry, who holds no party affiliation (NPA).

In FL-1, those candidates are Valimont, Independent write-ins Richard Dembinsky, Stanley Gray, Jonathan Green, and Stan McDaniels, as well as NPA candidate Stephen Broden.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Original News Source Link – Epoch Times

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