Republicans are warning of a tougher than expected margin at Florida’s sixth Congressional District Special Election to fill the seats left by President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz.

Republican Florida Sen. Randy Fine and Trump Approval In November, he opposed Democratic candidate Josh Weil, an Orlando middle school mathematics teacher. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida-based GOP strategist Ford O’Connell have spoken out frankly about the changing landscape of the race, but they are sure that both will secure a GOP victory despite dramatic differences in campaign funds. (Related: Governor returns nearly $1 billion in “unused” federal funds after meeting Elon Musk.)

“Randy Fine will win this race, but it’s much closer than most people expected,” O’Connell said. I said hill. “Republicans are also far from being in the minority. It’s really important that both parties win.”

Weil’s campaign recruited national democrat strategists It was raised More than $10 million in funds, according to a filing by the Federal Election Commission. A million. Democrats still face the red mountains of the district that voted overwhelmingly Trump And then Republican Rep. Waltz, both defeat Competitors with over 30 points.

“The biggest thing for Republicans right now is raising awareness about that, simply because there’s a 1.2 million voter advantage across Florida,” O’Connell said. “Dem is focusing on this because he wants to change the story. Republicans aren’t focusing on that because most voters don’t know the difference between two, three and four seats in their home,” he added.

It is difficult to raise awareness as voters are being dumped from the typical voting schedule of special elections. The Florida Republicans helped pay for Fine’s television ads, and young Florida Republicans were knocking on the door all weekend, said Vic Baker, a Volsia County GOP commissioner. According to To Politico.

“We got a little bit of work with this Congressional race,” Baker said.

I am honored to have a sheriff. @ROB_HARDWICKFL of St. John’s County @teamsjso Please support me for Congress! Sheriff Hardwick joins five other CD-6 sheriffs! I go back to blue (or green in this case!) and they have my back. Vote early today! pic.twitter.com/epichtkx5v

– Senator Randyfine (@voterandyfine) March 26, 2025

DeSantis at a press conference on Tuesday I said He was hoping to see “low performance” from Fine’s results compared to him. 2022 Win Margin Just like Trump.

“They try to put it at the feet of President Trump. It’s not a reflection of President Trump. It’s a reflection of a particular candidate running in that race. If President Trump voted in this special election, he wouldn’t win by 30 points,” DeSantis said. “This district is so overwhelmingly Republican, I think it’s almost impossible for anyone with an R in that name to lose that district, so I expect the Republican candidate to still succeed.

“There’s momentum in our campaign, and that’s reflected in what we saw in early voting as we continue to focus on what’s really important to our voters,” Weil said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. “I’m dedicated to protecting Social Security, Medicare, cost reductions and ensuring the support that seniors and families need. I’m grateful that hundreds of thousands of Floridians and ordinary Americans still believe in a better future.

Early votes on Saturday showed a close margin for Republicans I took the lead From Tuesday until early in-person voting. Following on from the early numbers on Saturday, Trump did well. Another boost Social media will amplify approval for candidates ahead of Election Day on April 1st.

“Randy is working very hard on the campaign trail. Last week I joined the teletown hall with thousands of voters on CD 6, working with President Trump to secure the border, support the military and fight for Israel.” “Randy needs to win and all Republicans need to gather behind him, because you can’t have another radical socialist Democrat in Congress trying to derail the president’s agenda.”

Republican leaders in the House of Representatives are incredibly slim and are now Sitting 213 years old from 218-213 after former Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned in November and Trump served as his national security adviser to tap the waltz. Additionally, two Democrats were left unexpectedly open after the deaths of two Democrats, Texas Rep. Silvestar Turner and Arizona Rep. Raul Grialba, in March.

Fine’s campaign did not immediately respond to DCNF’s request for comment.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated with comments provided by Josh Weil’s campaign.

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