Republican Jimmy Patronis, the former Florida chief financial officer under Gov. Ron DeSantis, fended off his Democrat opponent and successfully won the race to succeed former Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida’s special election on Tuesday. President Donald Trump notably carried the district – which is located in the far northwestern corner of Florida, in the Panhandle region – by 37 points in the 2024 election. The 1st Congressional District special election, in addition to the one in the 6th District to replace U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, were viewed by some as early referendums for Trump’s second term. HAWLEY OFFICIALLY A YES ON DR. OZ AFTER SECURING COMMITMENTS ON TRANSGENDER, ABORTION ISSUESTrump, who held a tele-town hall for Patronis late last week, voiced his support for the candidate on Tuesday morning, urging people to vote. “Jimmy Patronis, Chief Financial Officer and Fire Marshall for the Great State of Florida, is running an incredible Campaign for Congress in Florida’s 1st Congressional District!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. And minutes after the AP projected that the GOP would retain the seat, the president took to social media again to tout “Jimmy Patronis WINS BIG! Congratulations Jimmy. DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT!”‘BLINDSIDED’: HOW STEFANIK’S TRUMP NOMINATION AS UN AMBASSADOR IMPLODEDThe Republicans had an advantage in Patronis’ race, but Valimont managed to significantly outraise her opponent, which flashed some warning signs. HOW TRUMP-BLOCKING JUDGES MANAGED TO GET PAST SENATE JUDICIARY HAWKSHer fundraising topped the Republican’s by a nearly five-to-one margin.Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives last year after Trump revealed his plan to nominate him to be attorney general. However, it became clear that the controversial House Republican had an uphill battle to get support from GOP senators. JOSH HAWLEY BELIEVES HIS BILL CAN STOP ‘RESISTANCE’ JUDGES FROM ‘PROVOKING A CRISIS’Just days after Trump’s announcement, and after a number of meetings in the Senate, Gaetz officially withdrew from consideration. Pam Bondi was then nominated by Trump for the role and ultimately confirmed as attorney general.With votes still being counted on Tuesday evening, Patronis defeated Valimont by a roughly 15-point margin.And Democrats highlighted that their candidate overperformed.”Democrat Gay Valimont Massively Overperforms in Florida’s 1st Congressional District As Warning Signs Flash Blinking Red for Republicans,” the Democratic National Committee (DNC) argued in an email to supporters.And DNC chair Ken Martin praised Valimont, emphasizing that “her massive overperformance in a Trump +37 district is the best performance for Democrats in the district this century.”