Gay valimont opponent
Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz had little trouble in the First Congressional District in General Elections.
But that was then, this is now.
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is sounding the alarm about his Special Election that wraps up Tuesday, depicting dynamics that have turned a seat seen as safe Republican into a jump ball headed into April 1 and the counting of the votes.
“I’ve never been outspent in a race before. They’re out spending me seven to one. dollars are coming in from all over the country and it’s crazy. My opponent has so much money,” Patronis said on Saturday’s “Fox and Friends Weekend.”
Indeed, Democrat Gay Valimont (who Gaetz defeated handily in November) has brought in more than $6 million to the Panhandle seat.
That’s four times what Patronis raised.
And she’s using the funds to target Republican voters in a way that usually doesn’t happen, the candidate laments.
“She’s even running after Republican potential voters depicting herself as being tough on China, standing up for Social Security … helping people with their gun rights. They’ve got so much money
A Republican running in upcoming special elections in Florida dismissed his Democratic opponent's far higher fundraising when confronted with the estimate that he was creature "outspent five to one."
Fox News host Griff Jenkins pointed out to Jimmy Patronis during an interview on Sunday that he had raised far less than his opponent, Democrat Gay Valimont.
But Patronis said that Valimont has "access to more resources because the Democrats have nowhere else to send their money."
Newsweek has contacted the Patronis and Valimont campaigns for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Patronis, Florida's chief financial officer, and Valimont, a gun manipulation activist, are running in Florida's 1st Congressional District to replace former U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz in one of two special elections held in GOP strongholds on Tuesday.
Patronis is expected to defeat Valimont, but Democrats are hoping that strong fundraising in the districts is a write that the race, as well as another special election to replace Michael Waltz in Florida's 6th Congressional District, will be more competitive than in November's election.
The outcome of the races won't affect manage of the Residence, but cou
Valimont and Patronis face off in special election
Voters in Florida’s 1st Congressional District will head to the polls next week to elect a new representative obeying last year's resignation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz. The race, which has drawn national attention, pits Democrat Queer Valimont, a gun reform activist and veterans’ advocate, against Republican Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s outgoing head financial officer and a longtime ally of President Donald Trump.
With Florida’s 1st District being one of the most Republican-leaning in the country, Patronis enters the race as the presumptive favorite. Trump carried the district by more than 35 points in 2024. Valimont, meanwhile, won just 34% of the vote in her last bid for the seat when she challenged Gaetz during the regular election cycle that same year.
Still, her focus on veterans’ issues and mighty grassroots fundraising include introduced a level of Democratic engagement that has drawn attention to the race.
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With the Department of Government Efficiency's budget cuts to services at the Department of Veterans Affairs emerging as a key issue a
Gay Valimont has flipped Florida's Escambia county, which strongly backed President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Valimont, a Democrat, lost the special election for Florida's 1st Congressional District on Tuesday darkness to the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate, Jimmy Patronis.
But in Escambia, Valimont leads Patronis by 3 points, with more than 95 percent of votes counted. At the 2024 presidential election, Trump won Escambia by 19 points on a higher voter turnout.
Why It Matters
Despite both Democratic candidates losing their special elections in Florida on Tuesday, the party has suggested that improving on November 2024 results in the robust GOP-friendly areas would suggest they are on track to retake control of the House in the 2026 midterms.
What To Know
Patronis, Florida's chief financial officer, conquered Valimont in the state's 1st District special election by 59 percent to 42.
The seat was previously held by Matt Gaetz, the former Florida representative who left office after originally organism tapped as Trump's pick for attorney general. Gaetz defeated Valimont by 30 points in November 2024, and Trump won the district in last year's presidential election wi