A special election has been set for next year to fill out the remainder of Rep. Michael Waltz’s term, after he departs office to become President-elect Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor. The election to represent Florida’s 6th congressional district will take place on April 1st, following a closed partisan primary on January 28th.
The eventual winner of the election will serve until the term expires with the 2026 elections. They will then have the opportunity to run for re-election, and serve without term limits as long as their constituency continues to re-elect them. Most candidates are expected to see the special election as a rare opportunity to break into the U.S. Congress and stay there, given the area’s stable political makeup.
“At Governor Ron DeSantis’ direction, this Special Election is being conducted as quickly as statutorily possible,” said Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd. “We are committed to ensuring this election is held as soon as we are allowed to hold it by state law.” The winner will have just a few months shy of a full two-year term in office.
The FL-6 district includes all or part of Flagler, Lake, Marion, Putnam, St. Johns, and Volusia counties. Over 525,000 registered voters reside in the district, which has had Republican representation ever since its current boundaries were set. Preceding Michael Waltz was then-Congressman Ron DeSantis, who used the seat as a springboard to the Florida governorship. Waltz is now the second-straight representative of FL-6 to advance to a higher political office.
Several candidates have already filed to run or announced their intent. Waltz’s District Director Ernie Audino is among them. So is Randy Fine, a state senator who resides outside the district in Melbourne Beach. Ex-Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins has also announced he’ll run. President-elect Trump has issued an endorsement of Fine for the seat.
The qualifying period for the special election will run from December 6th at 8:00 am to December 7th at 12:00 pm. Early voting for the primary elections will run from January 18th to January 25th, with the primary elections taking place on January 28th. This will then kick-start a general election campaigning season of just over two months before the April 1st special election.
