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House Republicans brush off Stefanik's Trump admin upheaval amid high-stakes Florida race

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House Republicans brush off Stefanik's Trump admin upheaval amid high-stakes Florida race

House Republicans are brushing off reports of anxiety over three historically red congressional seats, as the special election for two of them looms just a day away.

“Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine are exactly who House Republicans need to join our team,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital last week, referring to candidates running in Florida’s special election Tuesday.

Patronis is running for Florida’s 1st Congressional District, which was vacated by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Fine is running for Florida 6th District, previously held by former Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., who now serves as U.S. national security advisor.

Republicans have conceded they have been far outraised in those districts, and despite their likely victory, Democrats’ over-performance has reportedly raised concerns about the GOP’s fate in other areas of the country.

ELISE STEFANIK DETAILS ‘TEAM PLAYER’ DECISION TO REMAIN IN CONGRESS AFTER TRUMP REQUEST TO PULL UN NOMINATION

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Rep. Elise Stefanik is back in Congress as Republicans fight to hold onto seats in Florida, where GOP hopefuls Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis are running. (Getty Images)

It comes after suggestions that GOP discord in a Republican-favored district in upstate New York made some people nervous about Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., ascending to President Donald Trump’s nomination as ambassador to the United Nations.

Stefanik withdrew her nomination on Friday in a decision that blindsided even lower levels of House GOP leadership, sources told Fox News Digital.

Democrats immediately seized on the news as evidence that Republicans were worried about losing her seat in New York’s 21st District – something Republicans flatly denied, while blaming the state’s progressive governor for signaling she would slow-walk the special election to replace Stefanik.

“It was a combination of the New York corruption that we’re seeing under Kathy Hochul, special elections and the House margin,” Stefanik said on “Hannity” Friday. “I’ve been in the House. It’s tough to count these votes every day. And we are going to continue to defy the political prognosticators and deliver, deliver victory on behalf of President Trump and, importantly, the voters across this country.”

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TRUMP ASKS STEFANIK TO WITHDRAW FROM UN AMBASSADOR CONTENTION OVER RAZOR-THIN HOUSE MAJORITY

Florida state Rep. Randy Fine speaks during a special session, May 19, 2021, in Tallahassee. (AP)

Meanwhile, National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole told Fox News Digital, “We’d win this seat in a special election, and we’ll win it in a general election.”

Trump won the district by 20% in 2024, and Stefanik won every county during that same election cycle.

He told reporters at the White House last week, “We cannot take a chance. We have a slim margin,” and said he did not know who would be running to replace her.

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But the president has also been busy at work in Florida, where he held tele-town halls for both Patronis and Fine over the weekend.

While the Democrats are the underdogs in both races, they’re winning the fundraising battle.

Democrat Gay Valimont hauled in over $6 million from Jan. 9 through March 12, compared to just $1.1 million for Patronis in Florida’s 1st District. 

Orlando teacher Josh Weil grabbed plenty of national attention in recent weeks by raising $9.3 million compared to roughly $600,000 for Republican state lawmaker Fine in the Sunshine State’s 6th District.

The cash discrepancy in the 6th District race spurred GOP-aligned outside groups to make last-minute contributions in support of Fine in the closing days of the campaign, with conservative super PACs launching ads spotlighting Trump’s support of Fine.

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Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

They have no predictions of success, however, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., telling reporters earlier this month, “These districts are so Republican, there would ordinarily be no reason to believe that the races will be close, but what I can say, almost guaranteed, is that the Democratic candidate in both of these Florida special elections will significantly overperform.”

But it has not alarmed the GOP’s core fundraising machines. Sources familiar told Fox News Digital that neither the NRCC nor the Congressional Leadership Fund – the top super PAC supporting House Republicans – are putting any resources into either race.

“I would have preferred if our candidate had raised money at a faster rate and gotten on TV quicker,” NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., told reporters earlier this month.

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But Hudson added that Fine is “doing what he needs to do. He’s on TV now,” and emphasized, “we’re going to win the seat. I’m not concerned at all.”

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Boston, MA

Boston hosts one of the oldest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations

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Boston hosts one of the oldest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations


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With St. Patrick’s Day only two weeks away, the city of Boston is preparing to host the biggest celebration of the holiday in all of Massachusetts – the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade.

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However, the Southie parade is not only one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the country, but also one of the oldest. In fact, Boston first hosted a parade for St. Patrick’s Day in 1737, 39 years before the country itself was even formed. While the celebration has not happened every year since then, according to the date of establishment, Boston’s parade is the second-oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world.

Here’s a brief history of South Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.

History of Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade

According to the parade website, the city of Boston first hosted a St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 17, 1737. The celebration was “a gesture of solidarity among the city’s new Irish immigrants,” as “Boston’s Irish community joined together in festivities of their homeland to honor the memory of the Patron Saint of Ireland.”

In 1901, the parade moved to South Boston, a neighborhood with a large Irish population. Southie is also home to Dorchester Heights, where British troops evacuated Boston on March 17, 1776. Given the significance of both occasions to the city, Boston’s annual parade came to celebrate both St. Patrick’s Day and Irish heritage, as well as Evacuation Day and military service.

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The parade happens each year on the Sunday closest to St. Patrick’s Day, taking a break in 1994 and again in 2020-21.

What is the oldest St. Patrick’s Day celebration?

The oldest recorded celebration of St. Patrick’s Day took place in St. Augustine, Florida in 1600, with the city’s first parade following in 1601.

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According to University of South Florida history professor J. Michael Francis, “The first recorded St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the United States did not occur in Boston or New York. Rather, those who first gathered to venerate St. Patrick and process through city streets included a blend of Spaniards, Africans, Native Americans, Portuguese, a French surgeon, a German fifer, and at least two Irishmen, who marched together in honor of the Irish saint.”

While St. Augustine still hosts a parade for the Irish holiday today, the oldest continuous St. Patrick’s Day Parade is in New York City, where there has been a parade every year since 1762.



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Pittsburg, PA

2 injured in Kroger shooting in Warren County, Ohio

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2 injured in Kroger shooting in Warren County, Ohio



Two people were injured in a shooting at a Kroger in Warren County, Ohio, police said on Friday night. 

In a post on Facebook, the Hamilton Township Police Department said the shooting happened at the store on State Route 48 in Maineville. 

Police said officers were called to the Kroger around 7:30 p.m. for a report of a shooting. At the scene, officers found two people with non-life-threatening injuries, but the extent of their injuries was not immediately released. CBS affiliate WKRC reported that Hamilton Township Chief of Police Scott Hughes said the two people were injured after someone shot into the store’s vestibule. 

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In an update just after 11 p.m. on Friday, Hamilton Township police said on Facebook that investigators made an arrest, saying “more info will be released later.” Police added after the shooting that there was no immediate threat to the public. 

Law enforcement said the store will remain closed for the night, and the investigation continues. No additional information was released on Friday, with Hamilton Township police adding that more information will be released as it becomes available.



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Connecticut

2 injured in motorcycle, pedestrian crash in Hartford

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2 injured in motorcycle, pedestrian crash in Hartford


Two people were injured in a crash involving a motorcyclist and a pedestrian, according to officials.

The Hartford Fire Department was called to the crash just before 6:30 p.m. Officials said the crash happened on Albany Avenue between Edgewood Street and Sigourney Street.

When first responders got to the scene, they found two men injured but conscious and breathing. Fire officials said one person was in critical condition with serious injuries and another had an injury to his arm.

Both were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

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The Hartford Police Department is investigating the crash.



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