Republican Randy Fine defeated Democrat Josh Weil on Tuesday in the special election for Florida’s 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. The seat became vacant when President Donald Trump tapped Congressman Michael Waltz to be his national security adviser. Trump endorsed Fine to be his successor.
“I am honored and humbled to be [Donald Trump]‘s pick for Florida’s 6th Congressional District,” Fine said in a statement. “I won’t let him – or you – down.”
Florida’s 6th district represents an area of northeast Florida that encompasses all of Flagler and Putnam counties, plus parts of Volusia, Marion, Lake, and St. Johns counties. Neither major candidate resides in the district as of now – Weil is an Orlando-based teacher while Fine is a state legislator based out of Melbourne. Also appearing on the ballot was Libertarian candidate Andrew Parrott and NPA candidate Randall Terry.
Though Weil’s campaign was optimistic they could flip a district that’s been red since 1989, Fine was able to build off a long-running Republican stronghold to inherit the seat from Waltz. Since Democrat Buddy McKay left office over three decades ago, three Republicans have represented the area: Cliff Stearns from 1989 to 2013, Ron DeSantis from 2013 to 2018, and Michael Waltz from 2019 to 2025.
In most elections this century, Democratic participation in congressional elections was purely nominal. Waltz defeated Democrat James Stockton by 33 points in 2024, did not receive a Democratic opponent in 2022, and won by 21 points in 2020 and 12 points in 2018 respectively. In the age of Trump, the district has grown only redder.
“The numbers didn’t add up in our favor today,” Weil said in a statement after the results came in. “We shouldn’t be disappointed however, this race was closer than anyone ever imagined. In a district won by Mike Waltz by 32 points, we closed that gap by a historic margin. An incredible gain. This progress is because of our grassroots supporters across the country and the voters in this district – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — who believe in a brighter and kinder future. This result is also a warning sign to Donald Trump, Randy Fine, and the un-elected oligarchs taking apart the government. Should they continue to steal people’s hard-earned money and benefits like Social Security and Medicare, defund education, focus more on culture wars than lowering costs: the backlash is only beginning.”
The Fine-Weil contest is one of two crucial House races that took place in Florida on Tuesday. Also of note was the race between Jimmy Patronis and Gay Valimont for Florida’s 1st congressional district, vacated by Matt Gaetz’s resignation for an ultimately abandoned Attorney General appointment.
The political makeup of the House of Representatives wasn’t in jeopardy for Republicans and House Speaker Mike Johnson heading into Tuesday, but the GOP’s razor-thin majority was put at risk ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. It was enough to get President Trump anxious; the president withdrew his nomination of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik for Ambassador to the United Nations in order to bolster Republicans’ House majority.
Fine’s victory Tuesday came despite a massive fundraising advantage for Weil. In a district usually low on the list of priorities due to its deep-red makeup, Weil outraised Fine by a ten to one margin. His campaign reported over $10 million in contributions compared to less than $1 million by Fine’s camp.
Despite the uphill battle they faced, top Democrats were optimistic about Weil’s chances to flip the seat. “What I can say, almost guarantee, is that the Democratic candidate in both of these Florida special elections will significantly overperform, which will represent another sign that the Republicans are on the run and that Democrats are going to take back control of the House of Representatives next year,” said leading House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries last week.
ELECTION RESULTS:
- Randy Fine (R) – 56.66% – 110,764 – WINNER
- Andrew Parrott (L) – 0.36% – 701
- Randall Terry (NPA) – 0.27% – 525
- Josh Weil (D) – 42.71% – 83,485
