Latest Special Elections are Defeat for Trump
- Alexangel Ventura
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
The most recent wave of special elections have been a massive defeat for Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
Due to a massive wave of retirements in Congress either for anticipated Trump cabinet bids or successful appointments in the Trump executive branch, two vacant house seats in Florida were up for special election: Matt Gaetz's district and Mike Waltz's district. Gaetz attempted to run for the Attorney Generalship for the 2nd Trump administration, but due to evidence of corruption and illegal actions in his personal life, he was forced to drop out of sheer embarrassment. Meanwhile, the other Florida congressman, Mike Waltz, successfully became the National Security Advisor for the Trump administration.
With both congressman retired, the already slim Republican majority in the House became even slimmer, so Republicans desperately needed to hold these districts. Last night, they did indeed hold these seats, however by underwhelming margins. House district 6 went for the Republican candidate Randy Fine by 14%, and House district 1 went for the Republican candidate Jimmy Patronis by nearly 15%. Although these margins are not slim at all, they are severe underperformances. Both districts went 30+% for Republican candidates in previous elections.
The second wave of elections was in Wisconsin. There, a pivotal supreme court that could have shifted the balance of power in the court was in effect. Susan Crawford, the liberal candidate, was running against Bradley Schimel, the conservative candidate. Crawford ran as the constitutional candidate who would oppose the Trump administration's weaponization of power. Meanwhile, conservative candidate Bradley Schimel, who criticized Crawford for being "soft on crime," aligned heavily with the radical policies of the Trump administration. Crawford ended up winning by a solid ten-point margin.
The Democrat victories in these elections serve as a testament to the shifting political opinions of the nation. These served as a mandate for President Trump's agenda, all of which showed that the president is taking heat for his policies, like raising tariffs and the DOGE.
