Trump-Musk backed candidate loses, voter ID wins: 5 highlights from Wis., Fla. election results

5. Republicans hold 2 US House seats in special elections

Like the statewide races in Wisconsin, Tuesday’s special election results to fill two vacant U.S. House seats in Florida saw Democrats perform significantly better than they did in the 2024 general election. However, the Democratic overperformances in the overwhelmingly Republican districts were not enough to flip the seats into Democratic hands. 

In Florida’s 1st Congressional District, unofficial results from Decision Desk HQ show Republican Jimmy Patronis defeated Democrat Gay Valimont with 56.9% of the vote to Valimont’s 42.3%. Patronis’ 14.6% margin of victory represents a significant drop from the 32% margin of victory enjoyed by former Rep. Matt Gaetz in the 2024 election. The seat became vacant when Gaetz resigned shortly after the 2024 election. 

In Florida’s 6th Congressional District, unofficial results from Decision Desk HQ show Republican Randy Fine winning the seat with 56.7% of the vote against Democrat Josh Weil, who has secured 42.7% of the vote. Fine’s 14% margin of victory is significantly smaller than the 33% margin of victory secured by former Rep. Mike Waltz in the 2024 election. Waltz now serves as Trump’s national security advisor. 

Following Tuesday’s election results, Republicans hold 220 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives while Democrats hold 213 seats. Two seats remain vacant because of the deaths of Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas.