Florida GOP state Sen. Randy Fine projected to win special election to replace Mike Waltz

Florida state Sen. Randy Fine, R, on Tuesday won a special election to replace former Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., in the state's Sixth Congressional District.

The Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ projected Fine to win the special election, according to The Hill.  

He defeated Democratic challenger Josh Weil with 56.5% of the vote as of 8:30 p.m. Eastern, compared to Weil's 42.8%. More than 95% of the votes are counted. 

Republicans are likely to breathe a sigh of relief as Fine's victory will help secure their narrow majority. Fears of an upset in both the First and Sixth Congressional Districts also prompted President Donald Trump to withdraw his nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.

Waltz's seat was vacant due to his appointment as national security advisor. His tenure, however, has already been rocked by Signalgate, an embarrassing incident in which he accidently added a reporter to a group chat discussing military strikes on the Houthis in Yemen.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.