A pair of Florida Republicans endorsed by President Donald Trump won their primaries on Tuesday to advance in the first congressional special elections of the new Trump era.
The victories by Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer, and state Sen. Randy Fine mean both will be the heavy favorites in the April 1 contests to fill the respective seats of GOP former Reps. Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz. And the results in the two deep-red districts show that the 47th president maintains his powerful grasp on Republican voters when he weighs in on primaries.
Patronis won a 10-way primary for the 1st District in the Florida Panhandle, according to The Associated Press. With 62 percent of the vote in, he was leading with 66 percent. His primary opponents included former state Rep. Joel Rudman and Navy veteran Aaron Dimmock, who challenged Gaetz in the primary last year after the congressman had played a key role in ousting Kevin McCarthy as speaker.
