Jimmy Patronis, a Republican who currently serves as Florida’s chief financial officer, handily won the special election for the open house seat in Florida’s 1st Congressional District just moments after polls closed.

Patronis was long expected to cruise to victory in the district, which encompasses the westernmost portion of the Florida panhandle. The district currently grades as R+19 on the Cook Partisan Voting Index and was previously represented by Matt Gaetz, who resigned after he was selected as President Trump’s initial nominee for attorney general.

On the Democrat side, gun control activist Gay Valimont came up short in her unlikely bid to flip the solid red seat. While Valimont’s chances of victory were slim, Democrats will be intently watching the margins in Tuesday’s elections in order to gauge party enthusiasm ahead of the midterm elections in 2026.

President Trump enthusiastically endorsed Patronis early in the campaign and congratulated him for his efforts in a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning.

“Jimmy Patronis, Chief Financial Officer and Fire Marshall for the Great State of Florida, is running an incredible Campaign for Congress in Florida’s 1st Congressional District! A fourth generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle, and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA,” the president wrote.

“As your next Congressman, Jimmy will fight hard alongside of me to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes, Secure our Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Brave Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”

Patronis (middle) poses for a photo with then-candidate Trump in 2016

The special election in Florida’s 1st Congressional District is one of two scheduled in the Sunshine State on Tuesday. Florida State Senator Randy Fine is also running to replace National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in the state’s 6th Congressional District.

Fine — who had drawn criticism from state and national GOP leaders over fundraising issues throughout the campaign — is also projected to hold on in the solid red district. While early voting numbers lagged significantly for Fine as of last week, large numbers of Republicans have since turned in their ballots to push the GOP lead above double digits.

Like Patronis, Fine was declared as the winner just moments after polls closed.

Elsewhere in the country, the Wisconsin Supreme Court court race between Liberal candidate Susan Crawford and Trump-backed Brad Schimel has long been viewed as the most important race of the day. While Crawford was expected to comfortably win just a week ago, the race is now viewed as a toss-up after massive grassroots support.

Crawford has openly supported the idea of re-drawing Wisconsin’s congressional maps to axe two Republican-controlled districts ahead of the midterm elections. The race is also expected to have massive implications on the Badger State’s election laws.

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