Trump-backed Patronis, Fine win Florida GOP primaries

By Gary Fineout | 01/29/2025 06:20 AM EST

Both Republicans will now advance to the April 1 special election, where they are expected to be heavy favorites in the solid GOP districts.

Florida's chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis, speaks during a campaign rally.

Florida's chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis, speaks during a campaign rally in 2022. He's running for the seat vacated by former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R). Lynne Sladky/AP

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Two Republicans endorsed by President Donald Trump easily won their Florida special election primaries Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, setting both Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine on a path to bolster the thin margins of the GOP-controlled House as it tries to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Patronis, the state’s chief financial officer, won a crowded primary for a northwest Florida seat that also featured a former state legislator as well as a Navy veteran who unsuccessfully challenged then-Rep. Matt Gaetz in a primary last year.

Fine, a state senator who has clashed at times with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), easily won his primary in the race to succeed former Rep. Michael Waltz. Waltz stepped down from his north-central Florida seat to become Trump’s national security adviser.

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Neither Republican lives in their district, but that didn’t seem to blunt their path to primary victory.

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