Desantis expects Republican to underperform in special election, does not want Trump to be blamed

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t expecting much of a performance next week from state Sen. Randy Fine.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, he admitted that he expects Fine to underperform in next week’s special election for Florida’s 6th Congressional District.

“Regardless of the outcome in that, it’s going to be a way underperformance from what I won that district by in 2022 and what the president won it by in November,” he said.

“They’re going to try to lay that at the feet of President Trump. That is not a reflection of President Trump. It’s a reflection of a specific candidate running in that race,” he added.

Ouch.

Wow. @GovRonDeSantis calling out Randy Fine for what he is – a terrible candidate. We don’t see this enough in politics.

pic.twitter.com/qvmI30tWjU

— Mayor of DeSantisville (@DeSantisville) March 25, 2025

But DeSantis wasn’t done.

“If President Trump were on the ballot in this special election, he would win by 30 points, no question,” he continued. “It’s a candidate-specific issue. I think the district is so overwhelmingly Republican that it’s almost impossible for someone with an R by their name to lose that district.”

“So I would anticipate a Republican candidate is still going to be successful. Do I think they will get even close to the margins that I received, or the president received? No. It’s a reflection of the candidate that’s running in that race,” he concluded.

The problem with Fine is that, for one, his Democrat opponent, Josh Weil, has significantly outraised him.

“Democrat Josh Weil has raised close to $10 million, while Fine has raised less than $600,000, and recently contributed $600,000 of his own funds to the race,” according to Jewish Insider.

“That cash advantage allowed Weil to begin running television ads weeks before Fine, though Weil has now burned through most of his war chest,” the reporting continues.

The only good news is like DeSantis, most Republicans expect Fine to eke out a victory, however small it might be.

“He needs to do better, but we’re going to win that seat,” National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Richard Hudson reportedly said on Monday. “I would have preferred if our candidate had raised money at a faster rate and gotten on TV quicker. But he’s doing what he needs to do.”

NRCC Chair Richard Hudson on Randy Fine’s fundraising woes in Fl-06:

“He needs to do better. But we’re going to win that seat. I would have preferred if our candidate had raised money at a faster rate and gotten on TV quicker. But he’s doing what he needs to do.”

— Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) March 24, 2025

“Randy Fine will be a Member of Congress. Everything else is just noise,” NRCC spokesperson Maureen O’Toole added in a statement to Jewish Insider.

In a separate statement to Jewish Insider, a Fine campaign spokesperson expressed confidence about him winning the seat.

“The only thing that matters is making sure Republicans are united to defeat radical Democrats like Josh Weil, who will stop at nothing to destroy President Trump, and we appreciate Governor DeSantis deploying his team yesterday to help our campaign,” they said.

Funnily enough, Fine and DeSantis have a rough history.

“Fine became the first Florida lawmaker to switch his endorsement from DeSantis to Trump in the 2024 GOP primary, saying he made the switch because Trump’s actions demonstrated his support for the Jewish community,” according to The Hill.

DeSantis didn’t like this — so much so that he called Fine’s move “political theater.”

As for President Donald Trump, he’s endorsed Fine and, in fact, re-upped his endorsement just a couple of days ago.

“America First Patriot Randy Fine is running to represent the Great People of Florida’s 6th Congressional District!” he wrote on Truth Social last week. “A highly successful, Harvard educated businessman, and greatly respected State Legislator, Randy has been a tremendous Voice for MAGA.”

“In Congress, Randy will be an incredible fighter, who will work tirelessly with me to Stop Inflation, Grow our Economy, Secure the Border, Champion our Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, Protect our always under siege Second Amendment, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” he added.

Overall, anything less than a double-digit win for Fine would be an underperformance, according to Florida-based GOP strategist Ford O’Connell. An underperformance that would NOT bode well for 2026.

“You’re talking about Florida, the epicenter of the Republican Party right now,” he told Jewish Insider. “And they [Democrats] want to be able to go deeper in the Republican territory and say, ‘Look at what we can do here: it does not bode well for Republicans in 2026.’”

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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