Voters in Florida and Wisconsin delivered a clear message Tuesday in key elections that tested support for President Donald Trump and Republican power. The GOP secured two congressional seats in Florida, while voters in Wisconsin turned out in record numbers to decide control of the state’s Supreme Court.
Florida Republicans Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine both won their special election races, expanding the party’s hold in the narrowly divided U.S. House.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s high-stakes judicial race drew more than $90 million in spending and became a national proxy battle over Trump’s leadership and the future of abortion rights, unions, and election laws.
Florida 1st Congressional district special election race
Local perspective:
Republican Jimmy Patronis won a special election Tuesday in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, bolstered by President Donald Trump’s endorsement to fill a vacant seat in reliably Republican northern Florida and despite national Democrats pouring millions into the race.
Patronis, the state’s chief financial officer, fended off a challenge from Democrat Gay Valimont even though she far outraised and outspent him. He will fill the northwest Florida seat vacated by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was chosen to be Trump’s attorney general but withdrew from consideration amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has denied.
RELATED: Florida special congressional elections test GOP
Florida 6th Congressional district special election race
Local perspective:
Republican state Sen. Randy Fine won a special election Tuesday to represent Florida’s 6th Congressional District, defeating Democratic challenger Josh Weil and squashing efforts by national Democrats who spent millions of dollars on the race.
Fine had faced growing pressure during the race’s final days as some Republicans publicly criticized his campaign and fundraising efforts. His victory ends Democratic hopes to score a huge upset in a district that was heavily supportive of President Donald Trump in November.
The race to fill the seat vacated by Mike Waltz when he was tapped to become Trump’s national security adviser received national attention. Democrats poured money into Weil’s campaign to outraise Fine by nearly tenfold, attempting to flip a seat where the president won by more than 30 points.
Why Trump, GOP should care about Florida
Big picture view:
Control of the U.S. House is not at stake, but the outcome of the special elections could give congressional Republicans some breathing room in the narrowly divided chamber. Republicans hold 218 seats, the minimum needed for a majority in a fully seated House. Democrats hold 213 seats, with two additional vacant seats most recently held by Democratic lawmakers.
Wisconsin Supreme Court race
Local perspective:
Unprecedented turnout led to ballot shortages in Wisconsin’s largest city Tuesday as voters cast ballots in a high-stakes race to decide majority control of the state Supreme Court — a contest widely seen as a proxy for the nation’s broader political divides.
Wisconsin Supreme Court race draws national attention
Voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballot for the state’s new supreme court justice. LiveNOW from FOX’s Carel Lajara spoke with Votebeat Wisconsin reporter Alexander Shur to break down why there is so much interest in this race.
The race, which shattered state records for campaign spending and early voting, pits Brad Schimel, a former state attorney general backed by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, against Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge aligned with Democrats and supported by former President Barack Obama and billionaire George Soros.
At least seven polling sites in Milwaukee ran out of ballots or were close to running out due to what officials described as “historic turnout.” More ballots were dispatched before polls closed, said Paulina Gutierrez, executive director of the Milwaukee Elections Commission.
Early voting was more than 50% higher than in the state’s 2023 Supreme Court race, when court control was also at stake.
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A resident participates in in-person absentee voting (early voting) at the Municipal Building on March 26, 2025 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Why Trump, GOP should care about Wisconsin
Big picture view:
The first major election in the country since November is seen as a litmus test of how voters feel about Trump’s first months back in office and the role played by Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency has torn through federal agencies and laid off thousands of workers. Musk traveled to Wisconsin on Sunday to make a pitch for Schimel and personally hand out $1 million checks to two voters.
What they’re saying:
On Monday, Trump hinted as to why the outcome of the race was important. The court can decide election-related laws and settle disputes over future election outcomes.
“Wisconsin’s a big state politically, and the Supreme Court has a lot to do with elections in Wisconsin,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “Winning Wisconsin’s a big deal, so therefore the Supreme Court choice … it’s a big race.”
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report, and the election results reflect the AP’s tally. Background information draws on LiveNOW from FOX interviews, AP, and reporting by FOX stations in Wisconsin and Florida. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
