TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump -endorsed candidates Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine won their Republican primaries in the special elections to replace former Florida Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz, notching wins in reliably conservative districts.
Republicans are expected to hold the seats following the general election April 1, which would boost their thin majority in the U.S. House as they pursue Trump’s agenda.
In the 1st District election to replace Gaetz, Patronis fended off a challenge from former state Rep. Joel Rudman, a doctor who gained political prominence for opposing mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patronis will advance to the general election to face Gay Valimont, who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination in the race for the northwest Florida seat.
Patronis, who grew up in Panama City, has been a familiar face in Florida politics for decades and previously served in the state House of Representatives. His family is well-known in the area for founding a local seafood restaurant.
AP correspondent Julie Walker reports on today’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz.
Fine fought off challenges from two other Republicans in the 6th Congressional District race for Waltz’s seat. The district includes Daytona Beach and communities south of Jacksonville.
Fine is known for his support of Israel and his efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights. He had been a key ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis before breaking with him over Fine’s accusations the governor wasn’t doing enough to combat antisemitism.
“This victory isn’t mine. It is Donald Trump’s,” Fine said Tuesday night from a special session on immigration in Tallahassee. “It is first electoral win since Nov. 5. And Republicans overwhelmingly showed they remain committed to his agenda. And I can promise him — and every voter — no one will be more committed to his success than me. I’m ready to go.”
State representatives who were debating the proposed immigration bill broke out in applause when Fine entered the chamber on Tuesday night.
Fine will advance to the general election to face Democrat Josh Weil, a public school teacher from Orlando. The 6th District seat opened up after Trump tapped Waltz to be his national security adviser.
Both Fine and Patronis have faced criticism for not living in the districts they want to represent.
University of Central Florida political scientist Aubrey Jewett said there’s a chance Democrats could run up the margins in a low turnout scenario, pointing to other recent special elections.
“Democrats might be able to take Waltz’s seat, but it would take a small miracle,” Jewett said. “I think for the Gaetz seat, that would be more than a small miracle. It would be like a very large miracle to take that one.”
In a surprising turn of events, two Trump-endorsed candidates have emerged victorious in primary races to replace embattled Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz.
In Florida’s 1st Congressional District, Gaetz’s former chief of staff, Amanda Makki, won the Republican primary to replace her former boss. Makki had received a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who praised her as a “fighter” and a “patriot.” Makki’s victory sets her up to potentially become the first female Arab American to serve in Congress.
In Florida’s 6th Congressional District, another Trump-endorsed candidate, businessman and Navy veteran Michael Waltz, won the Republican primary to replace Rep. Mike Waltz. Trump had endorsed Waltz early in the race, calling him a “true conservative” and a “great leader.” Waltz’s victory paves the way for him to continue the legacy of his predecessor in representing the district.
Both Makki and Waltz’s victories signal a strong show of support for Trump-endorsed candidates in key races, as the former president continues to wield influence in the Republican Party. With the general election looming, these candidates will now have to build on their primary successes and rally voters to secure victories in November.
Chris Wilder could not contain the excitement in his voice. “It feels imminent,” said Sheffield United’s manager. “It’s getting pretty close.”
Wilder was referring to his club’s protracted takeover by American consortium, COH Sports. At long last that particular saga has reached a conclusion, with the two key investors, Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, joining United’s board as co-chairmen after the buyout of Prince Abdullah bin Mosa’ad’s United World Group was confirmed on Monday.
As Wilder aims to reinforce his team’s position at the top of the Championship while retaining his best players, most notably the widely-coveted midfielder Gustavo Hamer, the new owners are arriving at an opportune moment. “I do think we need to strengthen in January,” said Wilder as he seeks to lead United to a third promotion in six years. But the manager is conscious that a team that began the season with a two-point deduction for defaulted transfer payments faces some potentially challenging festive fixtures, starting with Burnley’s visit on Boxing Day. Scott Parker’s side sit third, four points behind Wilder’s and one in arrears of second-place Leeds. “It’s a huge game for us,” said the former England midfielder, whose team are unbeaten in their past nine games. “But we’re on a very good run.”
How Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard must wish they could say the same. The one time England teammates meet at Coventry where the recently installed Lampard is charged with improving on his team’s 17th position and Rooney aims to lift Plymouth off the bottom of the table.
Lampard was given a “clear picture” of the size of the task at Coventry by Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Portsmouth. “For sure, we’ll be under pressure against Plymouth but that’s the beauty of football,” said Lampard. “It’s a good pressure because we have to stand up to it. So, yes, bring on Boxing Day when we have to show up.”
Rooney branded his injury-hit Plymouth side “naive” after they conceded a late equaliser in Saturday’s 3-3 draw with a Middlesbrough team managed by his old Manchester United and England teammate Michael Carrick. On those days when Hayden Hackney illuminates midfield and Emmanuel Latte Lath remembers his shooting boots, a sweet passing if wildly-inconsistent Middlesbrough look the second tier’s most sophisticated team. Carrick’s problem is that, at other times, his defence springs alarming leaks.
Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth side sit bottom of the table at Christmas but hope is not lost. Photograph: Graham Hunt/ProSports/Shutterstock
Boro’s Boxing Day fixture at home to a Sheffield Wednesday side harbouring serious playoff ambitions of their own offers Hackney and friends a chance to keep West Brom, Watford and Wednesday at bay by consolidating sixth place and perhaps even leapfrogging Blackburn into fifth. It is anyone’s guess whether they will take it.
Blackburn’s manager, John Eustace, is impressing at Ewood Park, but a litmus test awaits as Jobe Bellingham, Chris Rigg and the rest of Régis Le Bris’s precocious fourth-placed Sunderland side visit east Lancashire on Thursday. Unlike, Rooney, Lampard and Carrick, the cerebral Le Bris didn’t hit many heights during a short playing career as a defender with Rennes. Instead the 49-year-old gained a doctorate in sports physiology and biomechanics followed by a further diploma in the mental training of elite athletes before spending years as a youth coach at Lorient where, among other players who have gone on to better things, he mentored the Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Indeed, Le Bris only took charge of Lorient’s first team in 2022, coincidentally the year he also started learning English. These days he speaks his second language with such fluency and nuance that he talks about “the lucidity” of Sunderland’s passing as they endeavour to close the five-point gap on Sheffield United. Despite the north-east’s new year public transport shutdown allied to an 8pm kick-off, a crowd of around 45,000 is expected at the Stadium of Light when Wilder’s side visit Wearside on New Year’s Day for a match that could exert a significant bearing on the race for automatic promotion.
Like Leeds, Sunderland are frequently described as a Premier League club in waiting, but Le Bris knows he could do with not merely fending off those elite rivals queuing up to poach Bellingham and Rigg but also finding a reliable goalscorer. A new striker is needed to ease the stress on the Zenit St Petersburg loanee Wilson Isidor who travels to Blackburn on Thursday seeking his first goal in eight games.
The Leeds manager, Daniel Farke, remains adamant that had his No 9, Patrick Bamford, not sustained a knee injury late last season his team would have been promoted then. The difference now is that a revamped starting XI featuring the Japan midfielder Ao Tanaka’s excellence have evolved to the point where a fit Bamford appears superglued to the substitutes’ bench. Yet if Le Bris, Carrick and co will be aware of his subtly-frustrated body language amid talk of an impending January loan exit, Leeds are unlikely to trade with a promotion rival.
Boxing Day sees Leeds visit Stoke in another impractical 8pm kick-off featuring a home team without a win in eight games and their increasingly beleaguered manager, Narcis Pelach, struggling to keep his job. The 36-year-old Spaniard is under considerable pressure in the Potteries and probably watched videos of Leeds’ 4-0 demolition of Oxford at Elland Road on Saturday through his fingers. As Craig Short, Oxford’s caretaker coach, reflected: “Leeds are the best team in the Championship by a long way. Their athleticism and physicality sets them apart.”
With the top-tier currently containing only five northern clubs, a levelling-up project seems necessary. The good news is that Sheffield United, Leeds, Burnley, Sunderland, Blackburn and Middlesbrough are jostling to make that a springtime reality.
The Championship season has been nothing short of thrilling, with packed promotion and survival races keeping fans on the edge of their seats. As teams battle it out for a spot in the top flight or fight to avoid relegation, the drama has been non-stop.
In the promotion race, several teams are neck and neck as they vie for a coveted spot in the Premier League. The competition is fierce, with every point crucial in the final stretch of the season. Fans are eagerly watching to see which teams will come out on top and secure their place in the top flight next season.
On the other end of the table, the survival race is just as intense. Several teams are fighting tooth and nail to avoid the drop to the lower division, with each match becoming more crucial than the last. The pressure is on as teams battle for their survival in the Championship.
With so much at stake, the Championship has delivered in terms of excitement and drama. Fans can expect even more twists and turns as the season draws to a close, with every match set to be a nail-biter. Stay tuned as the Championship delivers more thrills and spills in the promotion and survival races.
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In the mystical land of Rhyacia, where ancient dragons soar through the skies and powerful sorcerers wield unimaginable magic, a darkness is stirring that threatens to consume everything in its path. In “The Unseen: A Novella of the Elder Races,” the first book in The Chronicles of Rhyacia series, readers will be transported to a world where nothing is as it seems and danger lurks around every corner.
As the last of the Elder Races, a group of powerful beings with abilities beyond mortal comprehension, struggle to maintain balance in Rhyacia, a new threat emerges that could tip the scales forever. When a young sorceress named Elara discovers a hidden power within herself that could turn the tide of the coming war, she must embark on a perilous journey to unlock its full potential before it’s too late.
With allies both old and new at her side, Elara must navigate treacherous landscapes, outwit deadly enemies, and uncover long-buried secrets in order to save her world from destruction. But as she delves deeper into the mysteries of Rhyacia, she realizes that not everything is as it seems, and that the true enemy may be closer than she ever imagined.
Filled with epic battles, heart-pounding action, and a richly imagined world that will leave readers spellbound, “The Unseen” is a gripping tale of courage, friendship, and the power of magic in the face of overwhelming darkness. Join Elara on her quest to save Rhyacia and discover the true meaning of sacrifice, loyalty, and love in this unforgettable novella that will leave you breathless until the very end.
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In a recent statement, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose emphasized the importance of every vote in the upcoming 2024 local races. With 23 races taking place across the state, LaRose highlighted the significant impact that each individual’s vote can have on the outcome of these elections.
“Local races may not always receive the same level of attention as national or statewide elections, but they play a crucial role in shaping our communities,” said LaRose. “From city council members to school board officials, these local leaders directly impact our daily lives. That’s why it’s so important for every eligible voter to participate in these races and make their voices heard.”
LaRose also emphasized the need for voters to stay informed about the candidates and issues in their local races, as well as the importance of participating in the democratic process.
“Every vote counts, especially in local races where the margins can be slim,” said LaRose. “By taking the time to research the candidates and make an informed decision at the polls, Ohioans can help shape the future of their communities for years to come.”
As the 2024 local races approach, Secretary of State Frank LaRose is encouraging all eligible voters in Ohio to exercise their right to vote and make their voices heard. With 23 races on the ballot, the outcome of each election has the potential to make a significant impact on the future of the state.
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