(CN) - A Republican state senator endorsed by President Donald Trump won Florida's 6th Congressional District seat on Tuesday, despite a strong showing by a Democratic upstart in one of two special elections that may solidify national Republicans' hold on the U.S. House.
Republican state Senator Randy Fine beat out Democrat Josh Weil, a math teacher from Orlando, by 8 percentage points, with 73% of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press.
The seat - formerly held by Mike Waltz, who Trump hired as his national security adviser - lies in a heavily Republican district that includes rural parts of Central Florida and the Atlantic Coast.
Another congressional seat in Florida's 1st district is expected to go to Republicans when results are released after 8 p.m.
Fine is known in the state as a bombastic conservative, a fierce defender of Israel and one of the architects of dissolving the Disney-controlled Reedy Creek Improvement District after the entertainment giant's CEO criticized the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill.
Despite close ties with state-level Republicans, Fine was one of the more prominent politicians in the state to endorse Trump over Governor Ron DeSantis in last year's Republican presidential primary. Trump returned the favor by endorsing him in the district's primary, held in January.
In the 1st Congressional District that includes most of the state's panhandle, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis faces Democrat Gay Valimont, a gun violence prevention activist.
The Democrats faced an uphill battle for the two seats against established Republicans in districts that Trump won by more than 65% of the vote in November. Both Matt Gaetz - who formerly held the 1st Congressional District seat - and Waltz sailed to victory in last year's general election by similar numbers.
The Republican win comes among what had been cautious optimism about Democrat chances after an infusion of millions of dollars in campaign contributions over the last three months.
Valimont raised more than $6.4 million, compared to Patronis' $2.1 million in the 1st Congressional District race, according to the most recent filings with the Federal Election Commission. In the 6th Congressional District, Weil raised more than $9.4 million, several times more than Fine's $987,000.
The two races also attracted attention on the national level from the Democratic Party due to Republicans' slim majority in the U.S. House. Last month, the Democratic National Committee sent funds to the Florida Democratic Party for organizing efforts and poll watchers.
This is a developing story and will be updated ...
Source: Courthouse News Service
