Republicans have fended off a late surge in Democratic support to win two special elections to the US House of Representatives after voter ire at Donald Trump triggered a tighter than expected contest.
Randy Fine, a Republican Florida state senator, prevailed over Democratic opposition on Tuesday for the House seat previously held by Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz, who gave it up to join the cabinet.
Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s Republican chief financial officer, won the seat formerly occupied by Trump’s initial nominee for attorney-general Matt Gaetz who withdrew from consideration for the cabinet role following allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use, which he denies.
Democrats performed much better than expected in both races, narrowing the margins of victory in Republican strongholds from November’s presidential election, driven by voter backlash against Trump and well-financed campaigns.
The Associated Press called the race for both Republicans shortly after polls closed on Tuesday evening.
Trump hailed the wins, writing on his Truth Social platform: “BOTH FLORIDA HOUSE SEATS HAVE BEEN WON, BIG, BY THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE. THE TRUMP ENDORSEMENT, AS ALWAYS, PROVED FAR GREATER THAN THE DEMOCRATS FORCES OF EVIL.”
The Republican wins will raise the party’s majority in the House to 220 against the Democrats’ 213, easing the task of Speaker Mike Johnson as he seeks to push Trump’s legislative agenda through Congress.
But the results will also embolden Democrats, indicating that voter discontent over Trump is showing up at the ballot box 10 weeks into his presidency.
The races were held in northern Florida’s first and sixth districts, both staunchly Republican districts that attracted national attention. Pre-election polling had indicated the outcome for Waltz’s former seat could be tight, and senior Republicans warned of a possible upset.
In Daytona Beach — a city better known as a destination for spring break holidaygoers and Nascar fans than politics — Democratic organisers on Tuesday night were buoyed by the turnout. They pointed to voters anger about cuts to social security and veterans’ services.
“It doesn’t even matter how it goes because every vote sends a message to Washington,” said Keltie McCormick, a 71-year-old retired nurse who volunteered with the Democratic campaign.
Underscoring Republicans’ jitters, Trump last week withdrew the nomination of New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik as UN ambassador over fears that the race to replace her could also prove competitive.
“We want to be careful . . . it’s just security,” Trump said of the decision on Monday, conceding the race to replace Waltz was “a little bit close”.
But Tony Jeffrey, a 56-year-old surveyor in Daytona Beach, said talk of a Democratic win in a deep-red part of Florida had been “blown out of proportion”.
“Prior to the presidential election there was a lot of people saying the polling favoured the Democrats,” he said after casting his ballot for the Republican candidate. “And you saw how that worked out.”
