Politics

DNC Blew Over $15 Million In Florida Special Elections Losses

Published

3 days ago

April 2, 2025

Democrats spent more than $15 million in losing two special congressional elections in Florida, both of which were called for the Republican candidate within minutes of polls closing.

In Florida’s 1st Congressional District — which was previously represented by former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz — the race was called in favor of Trump-endorsed Jimmy Patronis within seconds of polls officially closing at 8 p.m. Elsewhere in the Sunshine State, another Trump-endorsed candidate, Randy Fine, was declared the victor within minutes.

Fine, who will be replacing National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, was initially projected to be in for a close race due to fundraising issues and an early voting advantage for Democrats. Grassroots support managed to erase the lead within days, however, giving Fine a massive early voting advantage that culminated in a double-digit victory.

While Democrats enjoyed success in the pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court race, Florida was a much different story both in terms of overall results and money spent. In an official statement, the Republican National Committee pointed out that Democrats wasted millions-of-dollars on the losing effort.

“The American people sent a clear message tonight: they want elected officials who will advance President Trump’s America First agenda, and their votes can’t be bought by national Democrats,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said.

He went on to reveal that Democrats shelled out more than $15 million dollars across both elections, each of which resulted in double-digit Republican victories. “Democrats dumped more than $15 million into these races in a desperate attempt to change the narrative in Washington, but it was no match for the greatest turnout force in modern politics: President Donald Trump,” Whatley said.

President Trump appears with U.S. Rep.-elect Randy Fine

“I’m proud of the RNC’s efforts in Florida to help secure these seats for President Trump, and I’m excited to continue our work protecting the ballot and growing our Republican majorities in Congress,” the RNC Chairman added.

While speaking with Breitbart News just a few days before the election, Patronis noted that he was being outspent by his opponent, gun control activist Gay Valimont, by a six-to-one margin. “You know, the Democrats have nowhere else to spend their money,” Patronis told the outlet.

“My opponent has raised $7 million,” he continued. “You cannot turn on the TV without seeing her ads. You know, we were not able to keep up with the yard sign war, some of these other things. I mean, they even bought TV in markets outside of the area just to have a little bit of bleed-over — that’s how much money they had.”

After admitting that he was somewhat “nervous” about being outspent, noting that he had never been outspent in a race before, he ultimately credited grassroots Republican efforts for turning out early voters. “I’ve never been outspent in a race before, but thank goodness at least what we’re seeing in turnout, Republicans are really voting early,” Patronis said before going on to clinch victory.

While the Florida special elections provided cause for celebration, a number of election experts and Republican leaders, including Vice President J.D. Vance, pointed to the disappointing result in Wisconsin as a lesson to be learned prior to the 2026 midterm elections.

“The political problem on the Republican side of the aisle is how to get our base to vote in off-cycle elections,” Vance wrote in an X post. “We’ve seen the establishment (finally) accept Donald Trump’s leadership of the Republican Party. Now it’s time to try to actually learn from his political success.”