Powered by an Election Day surge that helped erase early-voting advantages the Josh Weil campaign had built up, Randy Fine, the Melbourne Republican, Florida Senate member and Donald Trump pick, won the special election for the 6th Congressional District this evening–not handily at all, but he won it all the same, to his patron’s (and his own) relief.
With over 117,000 votes counted in five of the six counties forming the 6th District, Fine was ahead, 53-47, and building his lead with Election day results, and results from conservative Marion, still to be counted. Flagler County proved an especially valuable trove for Fine’s fortunes as he secured almost a 6,000-vote advantage over Weil, with a huge chunk of that on Election Day.
Fine only widened his lead the more votes came in, edging up to a 54-46 percent margin with 143,000 votes counted, including an even split of votes from Marion–before the first Election day ballot was counted there.
Weil was running either ahead or almost even with Fine in all five counties in the district when early voting ballots were counted. But even where he was ahead, the lead was not so commanding as to suggest that Election Day voting, dominated by Republicans in recent election cycles, wouldn’t turn the tide for Fine.
The seat opened after Trump nominated Michael Waltz, who’d held it since 2018, his national security adviser. Waltz won his first race with a 13-point margin and his last, in November, with a 33-point margin.
Turnout in Flagler County was relatively strong for a special election–39 percent. It was 40 percent in St. Johns County, and lower in adjoining counties. The 6th Congressional District is an undecided circle that takes in the entirety of Flagler County and portions of St. Johns, Volusia, Lake, Marion and Putnam counties, encompassing portions of the ultra-conservative Villages to the southwest and a few liberal segments in Daytona Beach and DeLand, but skewing decidedly Republican overall.
Republicans comfortably outpolled Democrats and independents in St. Johns and Flagler counties. They had a nearly two-to-one margin in Putnam County even with independents added to Democrats’ tally. Republicans outpolled Democrats in Volusia County by 6,000 votes, with 10,600 independents voting there. By those numbers alone, it appeared as Election day progressed that Fine would be elected.
[This is a developing story.]
