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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
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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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A 9-year-old boy died Friday morning after a school bus hit him while he was crossing the street in Brooklyn, the police said.
The child, who has not been identified pending notification of his family, was struck around 8:18 a.m. at the intersection of Lee Avenue and Lorimer Street in the Williamsburg neighborhood as the bus driver turned left, the police said.
The boy was “unconscious, unresponsive” and had injuries to his head and body when the police arrived, officials said. Paramedics responded and transported him to Woodhull Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The police said the bus driver left the scene but returned; it was not immediately clear why.
In February, another child was killed by a school bus while crossing a street in Brooklyn, in the Bath Beach neighborhood. Amira Aminova, 11, had been waiting at the edge of an intersection when the pedestrian signal turned from a walk sign to a flashing red hand with a countdown timer, according to surveillance video. She started running across the crosswalk.
The bus driver appeared to have a green light, and began to make a right turn. Amira was halfway through the intersection by then, but the driver failed to yield and struck her.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent his condolences to the child’s family in a post on X on Friday, saying that he was “devastated” by the incident.
“Children should be safe walking around our city,” Mr. Mamdani wrote. “This horrific road death is a painful reminder that we must continue to use every tool available to make our streets safe for all New Yorkers.”
Lincoln Restler, a City Council member, said he was “heartbroken” about the accident that occurred in his district.
“This is one of the busiest intersections in Williamsburg, and I have requested that city agencies immediately make safety improvements,” Mr. Restler said in a statement.
Mr. Restler said he had asked the city’s Department of Transportation to expedite painting new markings at the intersection, which he said was recently under construction and lacked crosswalks and street markings. He also asked the department to analyze crosswalk signal timing for pedestrians and to make the signals longer to give people more time to walk.
“I have also asked the N.Y.P.D. to station a crossing guard here to help children cross safely,” Mr. Restler said.
FSU softball focuses on rival Florida. Here’s its approach on Wednesday
Here’s how Lonni Alameda and Florida State softball are preparing for its rivalry matchup against Florida. First pitch is at 6 p.m.
Jazzy Francik returned to the site of one of the toughest outings of her career and delivered a dominant performance.
The Florida State sophomore tossed her third career no-hitter and powered the Seminoles to a 10-0 win over Boston College in six innings Saturday at Harrington Athletics Village, moving FSU within one win of clinching the ACC regular-season title.
Francik (19-2) was in control from the first pitch, striking out six and allowing only one baserunner on an infield error in the fifth inning. She needed just 67 pitches to complete the no-hitter, the third of her career and one of the most efficient outings of her season.
Florida State’s offense gave its ace plenty of support, collecting 12 hits and scoring 10 runs. After a scoreless first inning, the Seminoles broke through in the second with three runs on RBI doubles by freshmen Haley Griggs and Makenna Sturgis.
FSU added four more runs in the fourth inning behind a two-run double from Jaysoni Beachum and an RBI single by Ashtyn Danley. The Seminoles put the run-rule into play in the sixth, scoring three times on an RBI single from Sturgis, an RBI double by Isa Torres and a sacrifice fly from Danley.
Beachum, Torres, Sturgis and Danley each drove in two runs as Florida State continued to pressure Boston College despite several highlight-reel defensive plays from the Eagles.
Francik and the Seminole defense sealed the no-hitter in the bottom of the sixth to end the game early.
Florida State is one win away from securing at least a share of the ACC regular-season championship. A sweep of Boston College on Sunday would clinch the title outright.
How to watch FSU vs. Boston College Game 2
- Date: Saturday, May 2
- Time: 4 p.m.
- Where: Harrington Athletics Village, Brighton, Massachusetts
- TV/Stream: ACC extra
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics and Big Bend Preps for the Tallahassee Democrat. If you like to pitch a story on a high school athlete, don’t hesitate to get in touch with him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
Outrage is building in a quiet Pittsburgh neighborhood.
Residents say they were blindsided by a plan to convert the former Fraternal Order of Police lodge on Banksville Road into a reentry center. The building could be turned into housing for up to 100 federal inmates, officials said.
Dismas Charities, an organization that operates federal halfway houses across the country, is behind the proposal. But neighbors say this isn’t the place.
“What will these people be doing when they’re not in the halfway house? Will they be law-abiding citizens and respect our community and its members?” questioned Judi Perry, a Shady Crest resident.
Concerns range from safety to proximity. Some fear the risk of repeat offenses, even though the facility is designed for rehabilitation. Residents point to past incidents tied to similar programs, including a case in Kentucky where an inmate left a facility and killed a police officer.
“We need to be better educated about how this facility would operate, what the parameters are for the people who stay there, and maybe, if we had more information, it would comfort us,” Perry said.
Inside a recent Pittsburgh Planning Commission presentation, Dismas Charities pitched the facility as a second-chance model.
“Over the past five years, we’ve had almost 40,000 residents participate in our programs nationally, and the rate of recidivism is .08 percent,” a Dismas Charities representative said at the meeting.
But that message isn’t landing here. Petitions are already circulating with hundreds of signatures collected. Neighbors say this fight is just beginning.
“We have preconceived notions about these people who were convicted and committed a crime. We don’t know what their crime was, and so maybe our concerns are exaggerated. But in general, you don’t like the idea of that facility being so close to our community,” Perry said.
A decision could come soon, as the commission is set to take this up in the coming days. If approved, it would still need additional sign-off before any inmates move in.
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