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Fine announces bid for seat vacated by Rep. Waltz
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ORLANDO, Fla. - Secretary of State Cord Byrd on Monday set special election dates to replace U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, a Florida Republican tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as national security advisory.
A special primary election for Congressional District 6 will take place on Jan. 28 and a special general election will be held on April 1.
The qualifying period for the race will run from Dec. 6 at 8 a.m. through noon on Dec. 7. State lawmakers face a Tuesday deadline — a day after Byrd formally announced the election dates — to resign to run for the seat, which is made up of all or parts of Flagler, Lake, Marion, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties. The resignations do not have to take effect immediately.
Trump has endorsed state Sen. Randy Fine, a Brevard County Republican, to succeed Waltz, who submitted his resignation from Congress on Monday. Fine, a former state House member who was elected to the Senate on Nov. 5, formally announced on Tuesday that he would be running for the post.
"Whether it's fighting inflation to make America affordable again, closing the border to make America safe again, or standing up for Israel and standing up to China. I'm ready to go," Fine said on Fox & Friends.
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Fine isn't the only one eyeing a spot in Washington D.C.
Former state representative and Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini told FOX 35 on Monday that he too is considering running for the seat. He claimed that when Trump makes an endorsement, "90% of endorsements, the president barely knows what’s going on."
Sabatini added that Trump "doesn’t know that Randy Fine is basically a borderline criminal, that he has ethics charges, he’s been found in contempt of court."
Fine said that Republicans who want to support President Trump "need to get behind me, in order to make that happen."
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Other potential candidates for the congressional race include Ernest Audino, Waltz’ district director; former Marion County School Board member Don Browning; and former Flagler County commissioner Joe Mullins. Jacksonville City Councilor Rory Diamond has also expressed interest.
Waltz was elected in 2018, succeeding now-Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Northeast Florida congressional district.