2025 Florida's 1st congressional district special election

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2025 Florida's 1st congressional district special election
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←  2024 April 1, 2025 2026  →
Florida's 1st congressional district
  Jimmy Patronis official photo (alt crop).jpg 3x4.svg
Nominee Jimmy Patronis Gay Valimont
Party Republican Democratic
Florida's 1st congressional district (since 2023).svg
Incumbent U.S. Representative

Vacant



The 2025 Florida's 1st congressional district special election will be held on April 1, 2025 [1] to fill a vacant seat in Florida's 1st congressional district previously occupied by Matt Gaetz, who resigned on November 13, 2024, after president-elect Donald Trump nominated him for attorney general of the United States. [2] Gaetz later withdrew his nomination for attorney general on November 21. [3] The following day, Gaetz announced he would not return to Congress. Primary elections were held on January 28, 2025. [4] It is considered a safely Republican district.

Contents

District profile

The 1st district takes in the westernmost area of the Florida panhandle, encompassing Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties, as well as about half of Walton County. A significant portion of the district's population are servicemen of the U.S. military, due in large part to the Naval Air Station near Pensacola and the nearby commuter towns of Navarre and Fort Walton Beach.

The district was given a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+19 in 2022, making it the most Republican district in Florida. [5] In the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump won the district with 68.1%, while then-incumbent Gaetz was re-elected with 66.0% of the vote in 2024. [6]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Withdrawn

Declined

Endorsements

Jimmy Patronis
Executive branch officials
U.S. representatives
State legislators
County sheriffs
Organizations
Gene Valentino
Executive branch officials
Jeff Witt (withdrawn)
Executive branch officials
Individuals
Declined to endorse
U.S. representatives
State legislators

Results

Republican primary results by county: .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Patronis 60-70% 70-80% 2025 Congressional Republican Primary Election in Florida's 1st Congressional District, results by county.svg
Republican primary results by county:
  Patronis
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
Republican primary results [30]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Jimmy Patronis 33,723 65.7
Republican Joel Rudman 5,0999.9
Republican Aaron Dimmock3,4206.7
Republican Gene Valentino3,0936.0
Republican Michael Dylan Thompson2,5435.0
Republican Greg Merk1,2852.5
Republican Jeff Peacock7421.4
Republican Kevin Gaffney6331.2
Republican John Mills5721.1
Republican Jeff Macey1870.4
Total votes51,297 100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

  • Gay Valimont, athletic trainer and nominee for this district in 2024 [31]

Others

Independents

Declared

Write-in candidates

Declared

  • Richard Paul Dembinsky, engineer and perennial candidate [8]
  • Stanley Gray, retiree [8]
  • Jonathan Green, mediator [8]
  • Stan McDaniels, landscaping contractor [8]

General election

Results

2025 Florida's 1st congressional district special election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Jimmy Patronis
Democratic Gay Valimont
Independent Stephen Broden
Write-in
Total votes

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Patronis submitted his resignation from his current office when he announced his campaign, which is set to become effective on March 31, 2025.

References

  1. ↑ "Special Election set to replace Matt Gaetz". Florida Politics. November 22, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  2. ↑ Beavers, Olivia; Carney, Jordain (November 13, 2024). "Gaetz resigns from Congress". Politico . Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  3. ↑ Breuninger, Kevin (November 21, 2024). "Trump AG pick Matt Gaetz says he's withdrawing". CNBC. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  4. ↑ Manchester, Julia (November 22, 2024). "DeSantis sets special election for Gaetz seat". The Hill. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  5. ↑ "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. July 12, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  6. ↑ "2024 General Election November 5, 2024 Official Election Results". Florida Election Watch. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  7. ↑ Ogles, Jacob (November 25, 2024). "Jimmy Patronis officially resigns as Chief Financial Officer". Florida Politics . Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Field Of 16 Candidates Set In Special Election To Replace Matt Gaetz. Here's The List". NorthEscambia. December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Little, Jim (November 26, 2024). "Special election to replace Matt Gaetz taking shape, with more than dozen candidates". Pensacola News Journal . Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Rudman announces intention to join congressional race, resigns as state representative". WEAR-TV . November 25, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  11. ↑ Saul, Christopher (November 20, 2024). "Matt Gaetz Resigned… Now What? How We Elect A New Representative". Mid Bay News. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  12. ↑ Ogles, Jacob (November 23, 2024). "Gene Valentino announces campaign to succeed Matt Gaetz". Florida Politics . Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  13. 1 2 Cooper, Amber Jo (November 25, 2024). "Multiple candidates drop out after Patronis lands Trump endorsement". Florida's Voice. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  14. ↑ Irwin Taylor, Janelle (November 27, 2024). "Nathan Nelson becomes the fourth candidate to drop CD 1 bid after Donald Trump endorsement for Jimmy Patronis". Florida Politics . Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  15. 1 2 Little, Jim (November 25, 2024). "Michelle Salzman drops out after Trump backs Jimmy Patronis to fill Matt Gaetz's seat". Pensacola News Journal . Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  16. ↑ Ogles, Jacob (December 3, 2024). "Jeff Witt becomes fifth CD 1 candidate to drop out and endorse Jimmy Patronis". Florida Politics . Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  17. 1 2 Little, Jim (November 14, 2024). "Campaign to replace Matt Gaetz in Congress starting to take shape". Pensacola News Journal . Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  18. ↑ Ogles, Jacob (November 21, 2024). "Doug Broxson won't run to succeed Matt Gaetz in Congress". Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  19. ↑ Strickland, T.S. (November 15, 2024). "Gaetz resignation sparks political shake-up in Northwest Florida". WUWF . Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  20. ↑ Brooks, Emily (November 22, 2024). "Gaetz says he will not return to Congress". The Hill . Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  21. ↑ Ogles, Joel (December 5, 2024). "Joel Rudman qualifies in CD 1, lands Bernadette Pittman endorsement". Florida Politics . Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  22. 1 2 Strickland, T.S. (November 25, 2024). "Niceville fighter pilot Jeff Witt seeks Matt Gaetz's former congressional seat". WUWF . Retrieved November 27, 2024. Former Rep. Frank White, who'd also been discussed as a possible successor to Gaetz, had already endorsed Patronis last week.
  23. ↑ Jaramillo, Alejandra (November 25, 2024). "Trump endorses Jimmy Patronis to fill Gaetz's seat in the House". CNN . Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  24. ↑ Ogles, Joel (December 4, 2024). "Mike Johnson endorses Jimmy Patronis to succeed Matt Gaetz in Congress". Florida Politics . Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  25. 1 2 3 4 Ogles, Jacob (December 20, 2024). "Sheriffs of CD 1 unanimously support Jimmy Patronis". Florida Politics . Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  26. ↑ Ogles, Jacob (January 6, 2025). "AFP Action FL puts its influence behind Jimmy Patronis in race to replace Matt Gaetz". Florida Politics . Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  27. ↑ Ogles, Jacob (November 26, 2024). "Incoming Border Czar endorses Gene Valentino in CD 1 race". Florida Politics . Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  28. 1 2 Ogles, Jacob (November 25, 2024). "Jeff Witt latest veteran to enter fight for Matt Gaetz's congressional seat". Florida Politics . Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  29. 1 2 Gancarski, A.G. (November 16, 2024). "Exclusive: Matt Gaetz, Don Gaetz aren't endorsing in CD 1 GOP Primary". Florida Politics . Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  30. ↑ "Florida First Congressional District Special Primary Election Results". The New York Times . January 28, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  31. ↑ Ogles, Jacob (November 18, 2024). "Gay Valimont announces another CD 1 run days after losing to Matt Gaetz". Florida Politics . Retrieved November 18, 2024.
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