Overview and Live Results: Florida Special Congressional Primaries

Special primaries will be held Tuesday for two U.S. House vacancies. There are also State Senate special elections in Iowa and Minnesota.

U.S. House of Representatives

There are currently two vacancies in the U.S. House, both in Florida and both in deep red seats. As a result, the real action for these special elections will be Tuesday's GOP primaries; the winners will be heavy favorites in the special general elections on April 1. 

A third Republican vacancy is expected in the days ahead, as Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21) will resign after being confirmed as U.N. Ambassador.

Florida Congressional District 1

This Panhandle district is in the Central Time Zone; polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

Ten Republicans are vying to succeed Matt Gaetz, who resigned from Congress on November 13 after being nominated for U.S. Attorney General by Donald Trump. Gaetz had won reelection to a 5th term on November 5. Gaetz withdrew on November 21 and confirmed the following day that he would not join the new Congress. 

Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson have endorsed Jimmy Patronis, who is the Chief Financial Officer of Florida. Also on the ballot is Navy veteran Aaron Dimmock, who unsuccessfully challenged Gaetz for the GOP nomination in 2024. Other notables include former State Rep. Joel Rudman and former Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino.

Gaetz won reelection by a 66% to 34% margin over Democrat Gay Valimont in November. Valimont is back for another try; she is unopposed for the Democratic special election nomination.

Florida Congressional District 6

This district is located on the Florida East Coast between Jacksonville and Orlando. Polls close at 7:00 PM Eastern Time.

Rep. Michael Waltz resigned on January 20 to become Donald Trump's National Security Advisor. This position did not require Senate confirmation.

Waltz won his 4th term in November by a 67% to 33% margin. There are three Republicans on the ballot, although state Senator Randy Fine appears to be a heavy favorite. Fine has the endorsements of both Trump and Waltz, as well as Sen. Rick Scott and GOP House leadership.

Progressive Josh Weil and moderate Ges Selmont are vying for the Democratic nomination. Selmont was the Democratic nominee in District 4 back in 2018.

The April 1 general election ballot will also include Libertarian Andrew Parrott and Randall Terry, an independent. Terry was the Constitution Party nominee for president in 2024.

Legislative Special Elections

Iowa State Senate District 35

Republicans hold a 34-15 partisan advantage in the Iowa State Senate. There is one vacancy that will be filled in Tuesday's special election. Members serve four-year staggered terms; the odd-numbered districts are up for election in 2026.

District 35 sits north of Davenport, along the border with Illinois. Republican Chris Cournoyer resigned in December after being appointed as Iowa Lieutenant Governor. 

Cournoyer won reelection in 2022 by a 61% to 39% margin. The nominees for the special election are Republican Katie Whittington and Democrat Mike Zimmer. 

Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern Time.

Minnesota State Senate District 60

This chamber is evenly divided at 33 Democrats and Republicans. There is one vacancy, following the late December death of Democrat Kari Dziedzic. All 67 seats will be up for a four-year term in 2026.

Dziedzic was first elected to the Minneapolis area District 60 in 2012. She was unopposed in 2022. Democrats are expected to hold the seat, returning the party to a majority.

Advancing from the January 14 party primaries were Democrat Doron Clark and Republican Abigail Wolters.

Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern Time.

Minnesota State House District 40B

A special election for this vacancy was originally on the calendar for Tuesday. However, the Minnesota Supreme Court cancelled it, ruling that it was not scheduled in accordance with state law. It will take place at a later date.

Upcoming Special Elections

• February 15
  • Delaware State Senate Districts 1 and 5
  • Louisiana State Senate Districts 14 and 23 (Primaries)
    • General Election (if needed) March 29
• February 25
  • California State Senate District 36 and State Assembly District 32 (Primaries)
    • General Election (if needed) April 29
  • Connecticut State Senate District 21 and State Assembly District 40
  • Maine State House District 24
• March 4
  • Oklahoma State Senate District 8 (Primary)
    • Runoff (if needed) April 1; General Election May 13
• March 11
  • Alabama State Senate District 5 (Primary)
    • Runoff (if needed) April 8; General Election June 24
• March 25
  • Mississippi State House Districts 23 and 82
    • Runoff (if needed) April 22
  • Pennsylvania State Senate District 36 and State House District 35
  • South Carolina State House District 113
• April 1
  • Florida Congressional Districts 1 and 6
  • Florida State Senate District 19 and State House District 3 (Primaries)
  • Oklahoma State House Districts 71 and 74
    • Runoff (if needed) May 13; General Election June 10
• April 15
  • Oakland Mayor

Upcoming Scheduled Elections

• March 4
  • St. Louis Mayor Primary
    • General Election April 8
• April 1
  • Omaha Mayor Primary
  • Wisconsin Supreme Court