Tuesday's two special elections are important as Democrats hope to send a message nationwide and as House Speaker Mike Johnson attempts to move forward with important legislation to advance President Trump's MAGA agenda.
Jenna Ellis says Republicans are still expected to easily win both of the races in Florida's 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, formerly occupied by Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz respectively, "but the margins are so much closer than anyone anticipated."
In the 1st Congressional District, Republican Jimmy Patronis and Democrat Gay Valimont are running to replace Gaetz. Patronis is the state's chief financial officer who received President Trump's endorsement in the primary. Valimont is a gun control activist who challenged Gaetz for the seat in November and received 34% of the vote.
In Waltz's old 6th Congressional District, the candidates are Republican state Sen. Randy Fine and Democrat Josh Weil, a public school educator in Osceola County. Fine won the three-way primary on Jan. 28 with Trump's endorsement.
President Trump won both districts easily in November, but Ellis says several factors are making these races so close now.
"Randy Fine in particular is not well liked at all in Florida," she notes. "In Florida's 6th Congressional District, Donald Trump won by 30 points in November, and so the fact that this is even a close race just signals the dislike of Randy Fine, but also, they're more competitive thanks to a wave of Democrat money and also early voting."
National Democrats point to the fundraising hauls in some of the state's most conservative areas as a sign that voters are already fed up with the president's second term, and they say voters tomorrow will be among the first to put the new administration to an electoral test.
Ellis expects Floridians will turn out and vote along party lines.
