By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-04-02 20:41:08 | Updated at 2025-04-04 16:59:02
1 day ago
CV NEWS FEED // Republicans celebrated two victories in Florida special elections Tuesday night, securing their hold on the House majority.
Republican Reps. Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine from Florida won their races by double-digit margins, despite Democrats’ heavy fundraising efforts.
CatholicVote praised the results on X, saying, “The red wave is alive and well in Florida.”
The red wave is alive and well in Florida. 😎
Republicans win special elections for two Florida House seats vacated by President Trump's cabinet nominees, shattering Democratic hopes for an upset.
LET'S GO! pic.twitter.com/Kk3IdLsPiQ
The victories will expand the Republican majority in the House to 220-213, giving House Speaker Mike Johnson more room to advance the conservative agenda.
“Democrats are in disarray, and even after wasting tens of millions of dollars, they could not sell their extreme, radical, and rejected ideas to voters,” Johnson told Fox News Digital. “With our full House Republican Conference now in place, we will continue our work to advance President Trump’s America First agenda and defend our majority in 2026.”
The special elections were held to replace outgoing Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who briefly sought a cabinet role, and Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz.
In Florida’s 1st Congressional District, Patronis defeated progressive Democrat Gay Valimont, who received over $6 million in funding.
“President Trump reached out to me on November 26 and said, ‘Jimmy, if you’ll run, I’ll endorse you.’ So then, it was up to my wife to give her blessing, and here we go,” Patronis said in a Fox News interview Wednesday.
“This is not about Jimmy Patronis. This is about my kids…this is about the kids across America. We have got to leave this country in a better place than we’ve found it,” he added. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do. We’re going to work.”
In the 6th District, Fine defeated Democrat Josh Weil, a public school teacher who raised nearly $9 million.
“Decisive and double-digit wins in Florida show yet again that Americans are fired up to continue electing House Republicans, despite being significantly outraised and underestimated by misleading narratives from the media,” Johnson said.
While two Democrat-held seats remain vacant following the deaths of sitting lawmakers, Johnson can still afford up to three GOP defections on any party-line vote.
