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Special election date set for Central Florida US House district vacated by Trump appointee

Randy Fine gets Trump endorsement to run for Mike Waltz’s seat

U.S. House Rep. Michael Waltz (Associated Press)

ORLANDO, Fla. – An April 1 date has been set for a special election to fill the congressional seat that Rep. Mike Waltz is leaving to join President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.

Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd released the timeline for the election to fill U.S. House District 6, which represents Flagler County and parts of Lake, Marion and Volusia counties.

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Republican Mike Waltz, who won reelection in November, is Trump’s pick to be national security advisor. He does not have to go through a Senate confirmation hearing.

Candidate qualifying for the election will take place Dec. 6-7. Any party primaries will be held on Jan. 28. The winners of those primaries will go to a general special election on April 1.

Byrd said in a news release that the timeline for the special election follows Florida law as well as federal law, which has specific guidelines the state has to follow.

The full timeline is available on the Florida Division of Elections website.

This is the same timeline that is being used for the special election to fill the U.S. House District 1 seat being vacated by Rep. Matt Gaetz. He was originally nominated to be Trump’s attorney general, but he bowed out of the job last week amid a Congressional ethics investigation.

One Republican lawmaker already has Trump’s nod to fill Waltz’s seat. State Sen. Randy Fine, R-South Brevard County, asked the president-elect to run for U.S. House District 6 on Monday.

"Mr. President, G-d saved you on that day in Butler so that you could save the world. It would be the honor of my life to be one of your footsoldiers," Fine said on Facebook, responding to a Truth Social post by Trump over the weekend.

Fine does not live in U.S. House District 6, but that is not a requirement to represent the district.


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