Florida special election leaves Republicans anxious

With a 218 to 213 majority in the House, Republicans cannot afford to lose winnable elections – let alone slam dunks.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersRepublicans fear Florida election upset could threaten Trump's agenda 2 days agoShareSaveAnthony ZurcherBBC North America correspondent•@awzurcherReporting fromOcala, FloridaShareSaveGetty Images/APDemocrat Josh Weil (L) will take on Republican Randy Fine (R) in a special electionStanding in front of a few dozen supporters in a strip-mall parking lot in Ocala, Florida, on Monday evening, Democratic congressional candidate Josh Weil made a prediction.

The public school maths teacher said that in less than 24 hours, he was going to make history by flipping a solidly Republican congressional seat – helping to wrest control of the House of Representatives from the Republicans.

"Their 2025 agenda stops here," he promised, railing against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to slash government services and personnel.

Just an hour earlier, in a telephone town hall meeting, Randy Fine, his Republican opponent in Tuesday's special election, had a similar message – although he framed it as a warning, not a promise.

"Democrats are mad," he said. "They're going to do whatever it takes to grind Donald Trump's agenda to a halt."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c209jxv77rjo

---