LIVE BLOG: Randy Fine or Josh Weil? Eyes of the nation are upon us as voters head to polls
No foolin': We've reached our April Fool's Day election.
Gov. Ron DeSantis chose the date for a special election last November, when two newly reelected Florida members of Congress, Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz, resigned to pursue key jobs in Trump Administration II.
Gaetz didn't make it, withdrawing his controversial nomination for attorney general after getting "thoughtful feedback" from senators required to confirm him. Waltz didn't need Senate confirmation and has gone on to become the national security advisor, now starring in his own controversy.
So voters in Florida's 1st and Florida's 6th districts are being asked to return to polls to elect new representatives. Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis is hoping to replace Gaetz and is opposed by Democrat Gay Valimont, while GOP state Sen. Randy Fine faces Democrat Josh Weil, Libertarian Andrew Parrott and Randall Terry, a non-partisan candidate.
For 6th District voters, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday in Flagler and Putnam counties, plus northern Volusia, southern St. Johns, eastern Marion and northern Lake counties.
Also, Edgewater in Volusia County is holding a special City Council election. Eric Rainbird and Renee Sortman are vying for the District 4 seat that opened when Rob Wilkie resigned in January.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Voters will choose Mike Waltz's Congress successor in Florida district
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"I think the point is both Democratic and Republican governors want a chance to talk about their states and what their pressing issues are," Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said in a telephone interview Friday. "All the governors in the National Governors Association signed a resolution that I helped lead that is against all the cuts that we're seeing in the budget reconciliation bill, so this is a chance to maybe, outside of the larger party platform lobbying, to talk about real issues," she said. The two-day meeting, held at the Eldorado Hotel and Spa, will be a star-studded event, at least in the world of politics. In addition to the four Cabinet secretaries, six Western governors — Mike Dunleavy of Alaska, Jared Polis of Colorado, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, Arnold Palacios of the Northern Mariana Islands, Spencer Cox of Utah and Mark Gordon of Wyoming — are also scheduled to attend. "Together, these federal officials and state leaders will explore bipartisan solutions to the West's most pressing challenges," a news release states. The governors will also moderate panel discussions on various issues, including rural health care, outdoor recreation for disabled people, housing and post-wildfire flooding. 'True bipartisan dialogue' Amy Barela, chair of the Republican Party of New Mexico, said the state GOP welcomes the Cabinet secretaries and governors to New Mexico. In a statement, she called the meeting an extraordinary opportunity for New Mexico to be part of meaningful conversations on critical issues impacting the region. 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Lujan Grisham, who announced her initiative would focus on housing when she was elected association chair last year, said she wants to make sure housing is a big topic of discussion during the meeting. "Affordable housing is my signature issue, and I want to make sure that we get a chance to really talk about the federal government's role and the state's regional roles at supporting each other to get more affordable housing in stock," she said. 'We are not shy' Lujan Grisham said Cabinet secretaries typically talk about their priorities and "what we should expect to see in the Trump administration." "They're beginning to hire people back," she said. 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Lujan Grisham said her husband, Manny Cordova, may have his hands full, too. "We're trying to get Manny to do a red chile cooking lesson for the spouses," she said. "And maybe one last thing we'll do, we'll remind all the governors that the best green chile in the world is indeed in New Mexico."
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