Florida state Sen. Randy Fine (R) was projected to win the Republican primary in the state’s sixth congressional district on Tuesday, making him a favorite to win the district’s general election in April, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Fine is running to replace former Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), who vacated the seat to serve as President Trump’s national security adviser.
The district has a strong conservative lean and stretches along Florida’s east coast from southern Jacksonville to the Daytona Beach area. Waltz won reelection in November with just over 66 percent of the vote.
The special general election for the seat is slated for April 1.
Fine, who represents the 19th state Senate district, jumped into the race for Waltz’s seat last November after Trump publicly encouraged him to run for the seat.
“Mr. President, [God] saved you on that day in Butler so that you could save the world. It would be the honor of my life to be one of your footsoldiers. Your confidence is overwhelming and I will have news to share soon!” Fine wrote Monday in a post on the social platform X.
Fine is known for his staunch pro-Israel views and is the only Jewish Republican serving in the state Legislature.
He made waves during the 2024 Republican presidential primary when he became the first Florida lawmaker to switch his endorsement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to Trump. Fine said he switched his endorsement from DeSantis to Trump because he argued that Trump’s actions demonstrated his support for the Jewish community.
“Donald Trump didn’t just talk about moving the embassy. He did it. Donald Trump didn’t just talk about Israeli security. He green-lit them annexing the Golan,” he said. “Donald Trump didn’t just talk about peace. He signed the Abraham Accords. He deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for it.”
DeSantis’s team hit back following Fine’s switch, calling it “political theater.”
