Randy Fine, a Republican state senator in Florida, won the special election in Florida’s Sixth Congressional District on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.
Mr. Fine beat Josh Weil, a Democrat, in the race for the seat vacated by former Representative Michael Waltz. Mr. Waltz is now President Trump’s national security adviser..
The race was one of two special House elections in Florida on Tuesday, both for seats formerly held by Republicans. The party needs to retain both to protect its thin majority in the House.
The race to replace former Representative Matt Gaetz in the state’s First Congressional District, in the Panhandle, had not yet been called since polls are still open in part of the district. Jimmy Patronis, the state’s chief financial officer, is facing Gay Valimont, a Democrat who lost to Mr. Gaetz last year.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated both districts as solidly Republican. Mr. Fine and Mr. Patronis each cleared their respective primary fields easily after securing Mr. Trump’s endorsement.
Still, the Democratic candidates in both districts mounted fierce fund-raising campaigns that brought in millions of dollars despite their party’s recent struggles in Florida.
As the special elections drew near, some Republicans voiced concern about Mr. Fine’s race. Steve Bannon, a top ally of Mr. Trump, warned on his show “War Room” that “we have a candidate that I don’t think is winning — that’s an issue.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who represented the Sixth District before running for statewide office, predicted that “it’s going to be a way underperformance” for his party, compared with previous elections, but he said that such a result would be “a reflection of the specific candidate running in that race.”
Mr. Fine, a former gambling lobbyist and pugnacious state representative, is the only Jewish Republican in the Florida Legislature. He broke with the governor when he endorsed Mr. Trump instead of Mr. DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary last year, saying he thought Mr. Trump would be a better ally against antisemitism.
During the special election campaigns, Mr. Trump hosted telephone town hall meetings for both Mr. Fine and Mr. Patronis, while Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, traveled to the district to appear with Mr. Weil.
With control of the House teetering, restoring Republican votes for the two vacant seats would be important as the party navigates internal divisions over a domestic policy package, which is expected to include significant cuts to spending and taxes. Democrats are expected to unanimously oppose the plan, meaning that House Republicans can barely spare any votes.
Republican concerns about their narrow margin of control in the House — and about Mr. Fine’s race in particular — grew to the point that on Thursday, Mr. Trump asked Representative Elise Stefanik of New York to withdraw her name from consideration to be ambassador to the United Nations, and to remain in Congress instead.
