Special elections for two major Florida congressional districts will take place on April 1, pitting two outsider Democrats against two longtime fixtures of the state government.
The race has both parties on edge as Democrats hope a strong performance for their candidates could indicate voters are growing weary of the Trump administration, a sentiment they could parlay into next year’s midterm elections.
Despite both races taking place in deep red districts, Democrats point toward their success in a Pennsylvania state senate special election this week in a district President Donald Trump carried last year as a sign the electorate may be pushing back against his aggressive second term in office.
So far, Democrats outraised the Republicans by millions in both Florida races, but the voter registration deficits in what are considered two conservative meccas in the increasingly red Sunshine State give them a steep hill to climb to pull an upset.
Trump’s election victory last year and his Cabinet nominations brought the resignations of two congressmen from Florida: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who eventually withdrew his name after being tapped for attorney general, and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), who is now the president’s national security adviser.
That leaves open Florida’s 1st and 6th congressional districts, and two familiar faces from the state government have thrown their hats into the ring for the Republican Party.
Florida’s 1st District covers part of its western panhandle and includes Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties, as well as portions of Walton County.
The 6th District runs along the state’s east coast from southern Jacksonville to the Daytona Beach area.
Both are conservative strongholds in a state that has become solidly red in recent election cycles.
With the current party split in the House of Representatives, as Republicans lead 218–213, the contests may not necessarily affect control of Congress.
