St. Johns County voters will head to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes in the Special Election for Florida’s 6th Congressional District.
The race in the heavily Republican-leaning district is heating up and Florida Democrats are hoping the result will signal waning support for the Trump Administration.
Democratic candidate Josh Weil has out-raised his Trump-endorsed Republican opponent Randy Fine by a margin of nine to one in his bid to flip CD 6 blue.
He also just won the endorsement of former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders.
Recent polls have suggested an incredibly tight race, despite the fact Republicans won the seat by a whopping 33 points less than six months ago.
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“The needs here in this district have been made very clear,” said Weil.
Weil said he believes his message is resonating with voters in the district who are unhappy with the Trump Administration’s slashing of government departments and programs.
“They have deep, present concerns about social security, Medicaid, Medicare and veterans’ benefits,” said Weil.
Fine acknowledged the lopsided money dynamic, and argued the race will come down to turnout.
“If people who support President Trump turn out because they’re concerned about the Trump agenda, then I’m gonna win,” said Fine.
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Florida Republican Party Chair Evan Power told Action News Jax despite the fundraising gap, he’s confident Republicans will hold the seat.
“If our Republican voters turn out, we’re going to win. And I think we’re putting the resources into the field to make sure that we turn out every Republican voter and we’re confident we’ll have a great result come Tuesday,” said Power.
But Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried told Action News Jax she believes CD 6 presents an opportunity for Democrats to send a message that could reverberate across the country.
The race is being viewed by many as a litmus test to gauge how the Trump Administration’s work is being received by voters.
“Republicans and the Trump Administration believe that they won in a landslide, they have completely overplayed their hand,” said Fried. “It was a very close election across the entire country and now this is an opportunity for people to sit back and say this is not what we wanted.”
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UNF political science professor Dr. Michael Binder argued even if Democrats don’t flip the seat, they could still send a strong message if they’re able to make it close.
“Even if Fine wins by, let’s say he wins by 10 or 12 points, that’s still an enormous shift,” said Binder.
For Republicans the stakes are incredibly high, given they only currently hold a narrow five-member majority in the US House.
“Donald Trump’s agenda would be at risk, and that’s what the Democrats are campaigning on,” said Fine.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump recalled his nomination for Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY 21st District) to become the next UN Ambassador.
Many political observers view the move as an insurance plan, in the event Democrats manage to flip CD 6.
Early voting is already underway. To view a detailed guide on how to vote early in Putnam, St. Johns, and Flagler counties, click here.
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