Last Updated: 8:22 p.m.
Powered by an Election Day surge that helped erase early-voting advantages the Josh Weil campaign had built up, Randy Fine, the Melbourne Republican, Florida Senate member and Donald Trump pick, won the special election for the 6th Congressional District this evening–not handily, but comfortably enough, to his patron’s (and his own) relief.
With all votes counted in the six counties forming the 6th District, Fine, 50, took 57 percent to Weil’s 43 percent. Flagler County proved an especially valuable trove for Fine’s fortunes as he secured almost a 6,000-vote advantage over Weil, with a huge chunk of that on Election Day.
Fine only widened his lead the more votes came in. Even in Volusia County, the tally evened out as the evening progressed, though the county gave Weil his closest results. One silver lining for Weil and Democrats: Fine’s lead, just shy of double digits, would result in the poorest showing for a Republican in the region in at least a quarter century, although the district has been redrawn several times in that span. On the other hand, it can just as convincingly be argued that a 10-point loss while having a 10-to-1 advantage in fundraising, as Weil did, is also a poor showing, the district’s lopsided Republican-registration advantage notwithstanding.
Weil was running either ahead or almost even with Fine in all five counties in the district when early voting ballots were counted. But even where he was ahead, the lead was not so commanding as to strongly suggest that Election Day voting, dominated by Republicans in recent election cycles, wouldn’t turn the tide for Fine.
The seat opened after Trump nominated Michael Waltz, who’d held it since 2018, his national security adviser. Waltz won his first race with a 13-point margin and his last, in November, with a 33-point margin. Fine’s underwhelming performance may diminish the din of alarm bells that rang from Trump to DeSantis to Fine’s own campaign in the final days of the campaign, when polls showed a much tighter race than Fine expected, but not mute them altogether: the lesser margin may be a reflection of a Trump brand battered by a series of self-inflicted setbacks within the administration and in the economy.
Yet Fine didn’t veer from his central message: he would be Trump’s man in Congress. He repeated the message, once saying in a WNZF appearance in Flagler County that “God saved his [that is, Trump’s] life so that he could save the world, and since he says he needs my help to make that happen, then that’s what I’m going to do.” He continued on the same track, telling USA Today: “I think the most important thing I’m going to do is make sure the Trump agenda continues on track.”
“Have you ever heard a candidate say the race he was in wasn’t about him?” Weil said today in an appearance at the Flagler County library polling station.
Turnout in Flagler County was relatively strong for a special election–39 percent. It was 40 percent in St. Johns County, and lower in adjoining counties. The 6th Congressional District is an undecided circle that takes in the entirety of Flagler County and portions of St. Johns, Volusia, Lake, Marion and Putnam counties, encompassing portions of the ultra-conservative Villages to the southwest and a few liberal segments in Daytona Beach and DeLand, but skewing decidedly Republican overall.
Republicans comfortably outpolled Democrats and independents in St. Johns and Flagler counties. They had a nearly two-to-one margin in Putnam County even with independents added to Democrats’ tally. Republicans outpolled Democrats in Volusia County by 6,000 votes, with 10,600 independents voting there. By those numbers alone, it appeared as Election day progressed that Fine would be elected.
In the only other special election in Florida today, the state’s chief financial officer, Republican Jimmy Patronis, was winning his race against Democrat Gay Valimot in the 1st Congressional District around Pensacola. The seat was vacated when Matt Gaetz resigned after his nomination as Trump’s attorney general, and before Gaetz withdrew his name after an House Ethics Committee investigation found evidence he’d paid for sex, including with a 17 year old, and abused drugs while a member of Congress. Fine’s propensity for abuse, while boundless, is strictly verbal.
S. Peters says
I’m disgusted
Judith G. Michaud says
How sad! We are losing our country! How ignorant Florida! If this was truly the peoples votes, then we deserve what we get!
Pogo says
@floriduh
… fine is flying high
Jake from state farm says
I’m honestly looking forward to seeing all the “love and peace” comments from the far left flood this article. It’s almost laughable how the rhetoric of kindness and tolerance gets twisted into something that, more often than not, ends up feeling more about division than unity. The irony is truly hard to ignore. If this is the mindset you’re holding onto, brace yourselves—it’s going to be a long, frustrating, and difficult four years ahead for all of you. Reality doesn’t always line up with the ideals you’re clinging to, and maybe it’s time to face that. It’s easy to preach harmony when you’re in a bubble of comfort, but when the rubber meets the road, it’s the real test of resilience that will matter most. So go ahead—keep calling people Nazis or keying Teslas, but at some point, it’s time to step out of your echo chamber and face what’s actually coming. The world doesn’t bend to wishful thinking, and pretending it will only makes the harsh truth hit harder.
Tony Lorenzo says
It’s unfortunate that this election did not take place in May . It’s then that people will fully experience the effects of voting for Mr Trump and the lackeys that surround him. You just sent another one to Congress.
BigPapa says
Bahahaha, These Libatards won’t win anything for several years…
Local says
Weil was defeated but you can’t defeat the hopes of Democrats…they may burn a few teslas to make themselves feel better the be right back at it…
FlaPharmTech says
And the idiotcracy continues…
T says
Wow republicans are dumb you’ll see yourselves I thought America stood for something
Samuel L. Bronkowitz says
No surprise here, a republican would win either way. Maybe if the dems embraced progressive ideas things might have been different.
YankeeExPat says
Forrest Gump, 1994 …………….”Stupid is as Stupid does ” !
Omega pledge Chip Diller, Animal House 1978……… “Thank You Sir! May I have Another” !
Karl Childers , Sling Blade 1996……. “I don’t think anything bad ought to happen to children. I think the bad stuff should be saved up for the people who’s grown up. That’s the way I see it.”
Who will clean up this mess says
Well Thank the Lord but will any Of Alex Soros (George) money help pick up all the $10M worth of litter everywhere?
Chad Basedman says
This sums it up.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a8MZBUoQt68&pp=ygUNQ29wZSBhIGNhYmFuYQ%3D%3D
earl real says
Good deal… Soros’s money did not work in this part of FL.
Weil was a fraud, propped up by bad, dark money.
Glad the smart people in North FLA sent him packing.
We want President Trump to be successful. We walked the talk today!
Skibum says
While the local special election win for the maga candidate is no surprise to me, I am very pleased to say that Josh Weil outperformed and did much better than a lot of people expected. With nearly all votes counted, to have come as close as he did with a margin of only about 14% difference, that in itself is a remarkable achievement, and should give many trumpian maga house members pause if they know how to read the tea leaves. People all over are extremely pissed off that the orange buffoon in the WH and his stinky musk scented stooge are tearing apart our federal government piece by piece. They are making head winds to ultimately try to destroy the built-in safety nets of social security, medicaid and medicare, and are already dismantling and firing public health scientists, researchers and staff who keep us safe from all sorts of diseases, viruses and bacterial infections and those who monitor and protect our nation’s food sources. All in the name of trying to save those critical federal dollars so they can instead reward the wealthy billionaires and corporations with tax cuts and no federal regulations. People are NOT having it, and finally, belatedly, I really think these very public and wrongheaded cuts are changing people’s minds about having supported the man who they wrongly believed to be the best candidate for president because of the perceived “business successes”, despite all of the voluminous evidence to the contrary. If I were a maga republican right now, I would be very, very worried about the upcoming mid-term elections in many states, including right here in FL, because with the nationwide sentiment that is going totally against those two idiots, no republicans, especially the outspoken maga ones, can feel safe when they are supporting all of the damage that is being orchestrated directly from the Oval Office to the detriment of every American citizen who is not one of the billionaire one percenters.
marlee says
Too bad we don’t have voters who possess constructive thinking …….like in Wisconsin!
PDE says
Skibum, your comments are always well thought out, concise and logical.
Thank you.
Sayre Berman says
Wow, Floridians really love their racist pigs, don’t they? I was really hoping that Weil would come through with the win. All this makes me continue to wonder…what the heck are these MAGAs here in Florida watching, what are they hearing, that convinces that what is going on in the current administration is good for America. We will crash and burn under this administration. It’s started already. Remember, unless you’re a 1%, you aren’t going to be saved from the raping and pillaging. We had a chance here in District 6 and you blew is for all of us.
BMW says
It never ceases to amaze me how immature and simple minded the comments from the Left are on this forum. The generalizations and name calling stoop below the mentality of junior high speak. How satisfying that $10 million dollars, the same old scare tactics, a fresh face and a slew of inarticulate foot soldiers couldn’t seize the day.
Alls good here says
A great day
The voters have spoken and millions of dark $$ couldn’t do anything about it.
The sad part is the lack of voters turnout
Marc says
The voters in Wisconsin may be cheeseheads but they’re a hell of a lot smarter than the rednecks in FL
Tired of it says
Yes, it is true that Democrats , highly qualified Democrats haven’t won anything in Flagler County for a long time. That is why our water rates are going up, traffic now looks like a big city mess, building is out of control, once family neighborhoods are overun with businesses (short term rentals) and everyone is talking about how the quality of life is deteriorating. But you keep voting for Republicans.
Dennis C Rathsam says
Oh dear….. Get the tissues out!!!! THE GOP RULES FLORIDA! What happened to the great white hope? All we heard, FInes behind, Fines gonna lose. Listen up, & listen good. FLA is were democrates go to die! All your hopes & dreams just went up in smoke. Get a life, Flagler live democrats, Ive listen to your bullshit for far too long. Your losers! Democrates will always be losers, as long as you side with Bidens invaders! America wants them gone, yet you fight for these criminals to stay. TRUMP was elected to clean up Bidens mess. Musk & Co. have discovered, more FRAUDE & waste than the people could imajine! TRUMP is making America profitable again, He ,s not paying folks to sit home & collect a check, The Federal Government is not a democratic EMPLOYEMENT center! These are our tax dollars being pissed away to other countries for such stupit shit. I’m sorry but! that money stays here to help Americans! A new day, & a better way for Americans everywhere, is about to unfold. The cover ups & lies are being replaced with TRANSPARENCY …. A word thast escaped the jackass party!!!!! I want to thank Joe Biden personally for his STUPITITY, lack of judgement & the daily lies he told, without Joe, & the disaster of his presidency, more Americans would have voted for Harris. They counted on a ignorant America, one they could lie to & control…. But we fooled them, we fooled them again yesterday here in FL. It will be a long time before, the people forget the lunacy of the past 4 years! And longer for America to vote for a democrat for president. GLORY GLORY HALLALLUA!!!! GOD BLESS TRUMP & REPUBLICANS EVERYWHERE!
Ben Hogarth says
For those of you dismayed by the election results in Florida – don’t be. The state was “lost” to idiocracy many years ago and the florida democratic party is just as much to blame for the situation as anyone. But that is a story for another day. Instead, I’d like to focus my comments today on “arithmetic” – math. Something we know MAGA isn’t the best at.
Anyone expecting Joshua Weil to win this election was fooling themselves and likely doesn’t understand how polarized the election districts in Florida have become. Add to this the fact we have seen a polarity shift in the Florida electorate as liberal minded people evacuate and MAGA cult members move in to the state. During the first two years of Covid alone, Florida saw more than 2 million residents “flip” – long time residents here sold and moved out of state while more than 2 million people from out of the state moved to Florida.
With that caveat aside, lets look at the 6th Florida Congressional District 2025 election results from Tuesday. During the 2025 election primary, the Democrats had only 16,004 total votes cast for any of the democratic candidates. Compare this to Republican voters that cast 40,837 votes for republican candidates during the same primary. That means there were 2.55x or 155% MORE Republican voters casting ballots than Democrats in the district. A tough hurdle for any candidate to overcome in any general election if the same numbers played out in the general. In other words – as a democrat, you really really need independent voters to turn up and vote for you overwhelmingly and hope some of the Republican voters break off as well. It is a massive wall you are facing and your chances of winning are ~0%. So now, let’s look at how the general election went.
Keeping the 2.55x or 255% number at the top of our mind, if independent voters were split evenly down the middle in the general election, of the total 195,475 votes cast in the general – 66% of votes should have been cast for the Republican candidate. That is the result we got in 2024 election when Waltz won with 66% of the vote. The problem? Only 56.6% of the vote broke for Randy Fine. That is a net of 10% total vote flip or a +20 for the Democratic candidate since last November just a few months ago.
That’s a lot of independent voters that the Republican party has potentially lost in a very short amount of time. I can see no statistic or evidence that shows there was a large disparity in voter turnout or voter sentiment between the parties. We saw low turnout with both parties. But with that said, we also know the Republicans have a 2:1 ratio on registered voters. That is essentially a near insurmountable advantage in ANY political district in this nation. So for Republicans to act like this was an incredible “win” is hilarious at best and absurdly amnesic of voting history.
MAGA wants to believe it has the best messaging and it has the best platform. It wants to believe that and will do what all cults do – focus on the narrative that helps them paint that image the best. For those of us living in actuality, I suggest just looking at the numbers. Our lives are largely dictated by probabilities and eventualities well beyond our control. If there be a silver lining I can provide to my more moderate or liberal friends, it’s that MAGA is not a sustainable way of life. It’s not a sustainable political platform. It’s not a sustainable economic system. MAGA is neither stable nor sustainable. In time, it will implode from the weight of its own suffocating ignorance. I don’t know what the future holds for elections in the U.S., but I do know that MAGA will not last. For the idolatries and fantasies of the psychotic exhaust themselves when they are forced to face their own shadows.
As (Sigmund) Freud once said the “Narzissmus der kleinen Differenzen” or “Narcissism of minor (small) differences” will be their undoing. (I had to include the German native language for the MAGA readers who prefer that version). As MAGA becomes more and more white, christian, fascist, and homogeneous, each individual within the cult must ensure their small differences between each member are more pronounced. They will invariably need to find a way to “stand out” from one another. In the process of so doing, they will create new conflicts amongst one another that will lead to further division and chaos in their ranks. In other words, leave two MAGA cult members in a silo alone together and only one will come out. Their way of life is wholly unsustainable. Period. The end.
As for Joshua Weil – be proud of yourself. It’s not everyday a liberal or progressive performs so well behind enemy lines.
BillC says
Let’s hope the new Republican congressmen are a step up from the “loose lips sink ships” Waltz or the reportedly statutory rapist Matt Gaetz who resigned in disgrace.
Kennan says
Billionaires. The minority voice in the USA… Telling half the country what to see, feel, and think.
The overall isolation of the United States geopolitically, as well as the insulated American reality make so many become
“Figurative Infants” playing with a mobile in a crib while the world crumbles below and around them.
Like a submarine:
It is time to breach the water’s surface that we so dutifully drown in, and get a focused, unbiased, raw, and unapologetically blunt view of a dying empire.
In 6 months when those of you that voted for Trump realize you voted for a DICTATOR. Do the right thing. Push back in the opposite direction. Don’t double down because you’re embarrassed you got duped.
Citizen Woke says
Will the MAGAs stop crowing when DOGE eliminates Medicaid and Grandma with Alzheimer has to come home to live because Medicaid no longer pays the bill. Alzheimer might have been cured only MAGA JFK,jr. fired all the scientists working on a cure. Of course, either mom or dad will have to stay home to care for grandma. Did I mention the new car that they need is way out of the question with only one family breadwinner and Trump Tariff frenzy raising the price $10,000. Food prices will be double what they used to be, it’s those pesky tariffs again. With no more immigrants to harvest the crops your kids are working in the field doing the work. Maybe they didn’t notice that the Florida legislature changed the child labor laws giving your kids the “right” to work longer hours in the fields. As usual, the MAGAs will vote against their own interests and keep crowing.
Skibum says
He won as expected, so now the appointment can be made for him to go to the clown taylor for his circus costume… then he will fit right in with the other maga clowns in the House of Reprehensibles.
Screwed the pooch says
Good luck beating Nazis with votes, doesn’t work. amerikkka we now kill for fake money! Corruption is the plan and collapse will be the result.
Voted for treason? says
Florida and their white power morons. Pretty ignorant to think you can get rid of this Nazi administration with votes. amerikkka doesn’t care about people only money for billionaires. So treat it like the orange stain would a 12 year old at epstiens island.
Kennan says
I hear some of you sticking your tongues out. Calling fellow Americans losers because you won another election in THe STATE OF IGNORANCE.
Congratulations! You have won the right to be manipulated, had your civil liberties pulled out from under your feet, 1st amendment gone,free school lunches, cancer research for children, Medicaid, Medicaid, Social Security all on the chopping block.
Randy Fine called Social Security a Ponzy scheme.
Maybe we should get ICE to kick all of you out of the country. Sorry, but some of you don’t have the right to wear all that
“Stars and Stripes” bullshit you slather all over yourselves.
IGNORANCE.
Real Earl says
These responses are delusional. He lost by double digits and yet responses were “we did better than expected.” Good for you. Grab a participation medal on your way out. He got beat, and beat badly.
Then, there’s all the “Medicare and Soc Security will vanish under Trump” comments. Please… can you be that naive? The work taking place now is to protect and enhance these two institutions that have been saddled with fraud for decades.
Billionaires telling us what to do? Nancy Pelosi is on line one. She might not be a billionaire, but her +$250 million net worth doesn’t bother you? You don’t think she and her cronies aren’t manipulating laws for their benefit?
Skibum… stick to the slopes. The nationwide sentiment is 70% in favor of all the changes being made and corruption being exposed. CNN reported today the Dem approval rating is 23%. Is this the sentiment you refer too?
Give me a break. Keep telling yourselves MAGA will fail. Not a chance… the people are mad and a large majority of the population support this administration.
Foresee says
Interesting how the local MAGA crowd DEPENDS on this “libatard” site to excoriate the “STUPITITY” of liberals while at the same time being in favor of the suppression of free speech and the elimination of any institution that doesn’t agree with their view.
Laurel says
Ben Hogarth: You have brought to light what I have suspected could be the outcome. I believe you are absolutely correct in your statement that MAGA is unsustainable. In the novel “1984” even the children watched everyone and reported any divergence from their accepted “norms.” Human nature (actually, all nature) requires subtle differences in order for any species to survive, but any subtle differences would be interpreted as a threat to the (human) system, and immediately reported, and the offender punished, or suddenly disappear. This system would eventually peak. Unfortunately, the rest of us apparently have to put up with this fumble and fallout, until it passes, and it will pass. We are way too spoiled and fortunate to allow it to go as far as making us into a caste system, such as the “Mudsill Theory”: https://hartmannreport.com/p/why-the-gop-deploys-the-mudsill-theory-cd8
As an aside, It would be interesting to have the MAGAs watch the movie “Cabaret” and afterwards, tell us who they identified with!
Anyway, Ben, what you wrote was stated beautifully, and thank you for that.
Ed P says
Wondering how intellectually honest many of the Flagler Live community members really are.
Nationally:
Examining their absolute negative assessment of the Trump Administration’s policies while they can not acknowledge any of the successes is such a familiar narrative. Same ole, same ole.
Eleven weeks in office and the FL pundits already know how Trump’s never tried policies will all fail, each and every executive order or policy. How is it possible?
Gullible, foolish, childish and petulant are all terms heaped on the right. Really?
All of my life’s experiences, higher education culminating in 2 business degrees, tens of thousands hours of reading, plus many more hours listening to podcasts and watching TV, and I can’t even hazard a guess of the future. Trump is too unpredictable. He has a propensity to keep moving, adjusting, and tweaking policies until he achieves positive results.
Today, Canada says it would drop their tariffs in a minute if the US. Does the same.
Walmart is telling its Chinese suppliers they must absorb all tariffs.
It’s just too soon for anyone to know. Are you going to replicate Corey Booker, filibuster just to filibuster, because no one will remember a word he said. No one.
Locally:
Palm Coast, Flagler County, Sheriff dept, nor school board member rarely receive favorable comments.
Wondering if we live in a community of curmudgeons. Happiness or just simple satisfaction with any issues rarely emerges.
I commend these civil servants. Who among us would be willing to take that kind of daily abuse for the salary earned? They are our friends, neighbors and humans. Something that needs to be stated from time to time, less all humanity evaporates.
What Else Is New says
No one seems to have mentioned that Mr. Fine does not live in District 6.
Samuel Adams once posited, “If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin. There may be more danger in this, than some, even of our well disposed citizens may imagine. If people should grant their suffrages to men, only, because they exercise them to have been friends to the country, without regard to necessary qualifications for the places they are to fill the administration of government will become a mere farce and our public affairs will never be put on the footing of solid security.”
Folks, we have someone sitting behind the Resolute Desk who fits the above description. God help us.
Where do I live? says
We all need to take a step back. I think everyone (Rep, Dem, Indep, etc.) would agree with Isaac Asimov, one of my favorite authors, who said:
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge'”
However, I think each part would point to the others as to the “whom” Asimov is referring to. History works in circles. I read a book recently, called ” Back Home” by Bill Mauldin published after he came home from WWII. I was amazed at many of the similarities between parties, people’s thoughts and anger, and the economy; compared today even though we aren’t really just out of a world war in the same sense. The larger issue, of course, was Veteran’s rights and aid. Housing famine, car prices jacked up, anger and undue entitlements were prevalent, to name just a few. The disinformation, the devaluation of minorities even though they served valiantly, and the wealthy who used great charities and values to dupe millions in dollars and millions of people. Things shockingly haven’t changed, or they’ve circled back again.
I also think of the mind frame during the Revolutionary War of many loyalists who thought the rebels were uncouth, animals, with-out manners and education, and savages. Interesting, right? I think we have parties that are pointing the finger at others and basically saying the same thing. Where is our: United we stand, devided we fall? It seems like the fall of the USA is upon us, but history shows it has happened time and time again. With this cycle, there is no line of thought or power that lasts indefinitely. As those that gloat or throw stones may see is when the tide is turned, we no longer tar and feather, but social media seems to be the ultimate push and revenge. This is, however, unbelievably shallow, child-like, and middle school in behavior.
Can’t we do better America? Can’t we shake hands across our fences? Can’t we agree to disagree? The shoves, anger, name-calling, gloating, etc., isn’t going to stop the rest of the world from hating us, wishing us harm, or engaging with us with tit for tat tactics. We are going down and going down hard, not because of Trump and his; but in spite of them because we are not united and looking out for each other. I really hope that everyone takes a moment to read “Back Home” and learn, compare, and take to heart the history. Humanity and compassion goes a really long way and after current politics turn to something new/different; it may be all we have.
Atwp says
Democrats need to vote in higher numbers.
Kennan says
Listen the only thing that’s delusional, is the fact that we keep going back-and-forth between party lines. We keep falling into that stupid little trap all the time. Let’s just look at the people that we have running our country right now. This is an American issue.
The two party system has been a miserable failure for decades. I certainly don’t know how we would do it, but the one thing that would help every American would be no party affiliation or multiple parties. We would now give the average American the opportunity to know who a candidate is, what they stand for, and basically get away from the party lines that keep subconsciously telling people to vote their party line no matter what. I’m sorry, but it’s that simple. We could give ourselves the opportunity to want to be more curious about a candidate, which would make us politically, socially, and even economically more aware of the runnings of our country. At the end of the day, that is what is important. What Americans want. Not red America and not blue America. I think if we did this, our eyes would be more open, and we certainly wouldn’t be as hateful.
Just a thought.
Laurel says
So how is “Liberation Day” liberating you? Looks like it’s liberating us from our money.
The “VIX” is a symbol that we don’t feel good about spending their money. It’s up today, at 32%, which means people see spending money as a risk. They are not happy. President George Bush said to get out of a recession, we need to spend money. He was right about that. If I don’t feel good about spending money, I’m not driving today, so the government does not get my gas tax. I’m not going out to dinner today, so the server doesn’t get tipped. I’m not purchasing on Amazon because I’ve decided I don’t really need that shirt, so Amazon goes down in stock. Do you see? We are all interconnected. Our companies do well by importing many products, like Walmart does, like Starbuck’s coffees, like auto dealer’s cars made up of foreign and U.S. parts.
This “liberation day” is complete bullshit. We are being tanked by damn, dumb, voted in ego.