Republicans Sweep All Three Special Elections to the Florida State Legislature
Three special elections occurred today for Republican-held seats in the Florida state legislature.
The special elections occurred today in Florida to fill three vacancies in the state legislature - two seats in the State House and one seat in the State Senate. The Democratic and Republican candidates for all three races were selected through primaries in April.
The special election for Florida State Senate District 19 was called after State Senator Randy Fine, a Republican, resigned to successfully run for the state’s 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented this district from November 2024 to March 2025. He was elected to this seat 59.4-40.6 against Democrat Vance Ahrens in November 2024.
State Senate District 19 takes in central and southern Brevard County. During the 2024 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump carried the district by a 59-40 margin against Democrat Kamala Harris.
Florida Senate (28 Republicans, 10 Democrats, 1 Independent, 1 Pending):
For District 19, Republican Debbie Mayfield won with 54.4% (37,546) against Democrat Vance Ahrens with 45.6% (31,418). 68,965 votes counted.
Meanwhile, the special election for Florida State House District 3 was called after State Representative Joel Rudman, a Republican, resigned to unsuccessfully run for the state’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented this district from November 2022 to January 2025. He was re-elected 78.4-21.6 against Democrat Keith Ellis Gillum in November 2024.
State House District 3 encompasses parts of Okaloosa and Santa Rosa Counties in the Florida Panhandle. During the 2024 presidential election, Trump won the district by a 77-22 margin against Harris.
Furthermore, the special election for Florida State House District 32 was called after State Representative Debbie Mayfield, a Republican, resigned to successfully pursue a return to the State Senate in District 19. She represented this district from November 2008 to November 2016 and again since November 2024. She was elected to this office 64.3-35.7 against Democrat Juan Hinojosa in November 2024.
State House District 32 covers parts of central Brevard County. During the 2024 presidential election, Trump prevailed in this district by a 59-39 margin against Harris.
Florida House of Representatives (87 Republicans, 33 Democrats):
For District 3, Republican Nathan Boyles won with 67.1% (8,175) against Democrat Dondre Wise with 32.9% (4,013). 12,188 votes counted.
For District 32, Republican Brian Hodgers won with 55.3% (14,997) against Democrat Juan Hinojosa with 44.7% (12,111). 27,108 votes counted.
Republicans were heavily favored to maintain control of all three of these state legislative districts today. Moreover, the GOP were guaranteed to preserve their supermajorities regardless of the outcomes.
The results in each saw stronger performances from Democrats as compared to the presidential election last year. In Brevard County, Democrats cut their margins between 9.4 and 10.2%. That kept the State Senate race to a single digit victory for Mayfield. Meanwhile, in the heavily-Republican Florida Panhandle, Wise surged by nearly 21 points!
All 120 seats in the Florida House of Representatives and 20 seats in the Florida Senate will next be up for regular terms in November 2026. Additionally, both chambers have one current or pending vacancy each that will be filled through special elections in September 2025.