The candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump won the Republican primary in a special election Tuesday to replace former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida’s 1st Congressional District.

The Associated Press projects that Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis will win the GOP nomination in the district, located in the northwest corner of the state in the Panhandle region.

He will face gun safety advocate Gay Valimont, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

IT’S PRIMARY DAY IN PARTS OF THIS CRUCIAL STATE 

Patronis, also endorsed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, topped nine other Republican candidates in the crowded primary field. He will be considered the favorite in the April 1 general election to fill the congressional seat in the heavily red district.

“A fourth generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle, and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA,” Trump wrote in a social media post earlier this month.

Gaetz resigned from Congress abruptly late last year after Trump tapped him to be his attorney general, and Gaetz eventually withdrew himself from consideration amid growing Republican opposition.

The congressman’s resignation also came as the House Ethics Committee had been preparing its report on allegations against Gaetz that included illicit drug use and sex with a minor, all of which he has denied.

Among those who lost to Patronis in the GOP primary was a former Navy veteran who challenged Gaetz last year with the backing of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

TRUMP-ENDORSED CANDIDATE WINS GOP PRIMARY IN FLORIDA RACE TO REPLACE MIKE WALTZ IN CONGRESS

Gaetz triggered the congressional maneuver in 2023 that eventually led to McCarthy’s ouster from power after less than a year as House speaker.

Patronis, whose family runs a popular restaurant in Panama City, which is outside the district, was criticized for not living in the district.

He twice won statewide elections as chief financial officer and, until Gaetz quit Congress, was seen as a potential candidate in Florida’s 2026 race to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis delivers remarks at a campaign event in Sarasota, Fla., Nov. 6, 2022. (Tiffany Tompkins/Bradenton Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Republican and Democratic primaries were also being held Tuesday in Florida’s 6th Congressional District in the special election to fill the seat left vacant after GOP Rep. Michael Waltz stepped down to serve as national security advisor in the second Trump administration. 

The general election in the red district is scheduled for April 1.

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With a fragile, razor-thin majority in the House, the likely reinforcements from Florida’s 1st and 6th congressional districts will be welcome news to Republican leadership in the chamber as it tries to pass Trump’s agenda.

An illegal immigrant from Guatemala is accused of firing at a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper multiple times after a traffic stop turned into a dangerous pursuit, according to court documents.

Tennessee authorities initially pulled Eugenio Abraham Solis Klarks over Jan. 12 around 6:30 p.m. in Lenoir City for speeding and asked if he had any ID. An source familiar with the matter confirmed to Fox News Digital the suspect was living illegally in the United States from Guatemala.

Upon being pulled over, Klarks allegedly presented a Guatemalan consular ID card. And when authorities began to issue a citation, he apparently fled, “leading officers on a high-speed pursuit into Knox County,” court records state.

“The Defendant eventually lost control of his vehicle on Watt Road. When the first trooper approached his vehicle, the Defendant exited the vehicle holding an assault rifle, raised the weapon, and aimed at the trooper,” court documents state. “The defendant was struck during the exchange of gunfire. Multiple firearms were recovered from the Defendant’s vehicle.”

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT IN RACHEL MORIN’S MURDER EXPECTED TO ARGUE FOR CHANGE OF VENUE

Klarks’ vehicle was apparently spotted in Macon, Georgia, and Indianapolis before the shooting.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has since filed an immigration detainer against the suspect, who is in custody at the Knox County Jail. He is charged with evading arrest but may be facing more charges in the future.

SMUGGLERS TRANSPORTING VANS PACKED WITH 26 CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DETAINED IN FLORIDA: POLICE

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and other Republican state politicians are considering a bill that would establish a “centralized immigration enforcement division” within the state’s Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security to crack down on illegal immigration and crimes like the Jan. 12 shooting. 

The bill is part of the governor’s immigration agenda that the Tennessee legislature will consider during a special session this week.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee joins Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other governors for a press conference along the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border to discuss Operation Lone Star and border concerns Feb. 4, 2024 in Eagle Pass, Texas.  (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

“Last year, Gov. Lee directed key state agencies to begin preparing for federal immigration policy implementation,” Elizabeth Johnson, a spokesperson for the governor, told Fox News Digital in a statement Tuesday. 

“In this special session, we will ensure the state is best positioned to coordinate with federal, state and local law enforcement to implement the Trump Administration’s plan to enforce the federal immigration laws on the books.”

Johnson added that the president “has made it clear that states will play a major role in partnering with his administration to make our communities safer.”

“Tennessee is heeding the call,” she said.

FLORIDA ABDUCTION REPORT LEADS TO DISCOVERY OF U-HAUL VAN FILLED WITH MOSTLY CHINESE MIGRANTS

Tennessee is one of dozens of states that have seen increases in crimes by illegal immigrant suspects, including those affiliated with the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. 

The division would incentivize collaboration between federal immigration enforcement and state and local government entities, as well as prohibit state and local governments from enacting so-called “sanctuary city” policies in which local officials do not cooperate with ICE.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and other Republican state politicians are considering a bill that would establish a “centralized immigration enforcement division” within the state’s Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security in an effort to crack down on illegal immigration and crimes like the Jan. 12 shooting.  (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Additionally, the division would hire a chief immigration enforcement officer, appointed by Gov. Lee, who would oversee “state and local collaboration with federal immigration agencies” and facilitate “efficient communication between state, local, and federal agencies with respect to immigration policy and enforcement,” among other duties, according to a summary of the bill.

“With this legislation, Tennessee continues to lead the nation in fighting illegal immigration,” state Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson said in a statement. “This bold proposal will help alleviate the burden of illegal immigration on local governments by centralizing immigration enforcement, making it easier for the state and local governments to work with federal authorities to remove dangerous illegal immigrants from our communities. Additionally, we are taking action to hold local officials accountable for unlawfully harboring illegal immigrants, in clear violation of our state’s sanctuary city ban.”

Democrats have criticized the proposed legislation as a “distraction” from the governor’s pro-school choice voucher legislation, which will also be considered during the special session, along with disaster funding for areas impacted by Hurricane Helene.

“Gov. Bill Lee’s push for divisive immigration policies is a cynical distraction from his plan to expand his failed private school voucher scam statewide,” Senate Democratic Caucus spokesperson Brandon Puttbrese told The Tennessean. “By mirroring Donald Trump’s extreme promise to deport immigrant workers, Gov. Lee is engaging in a calculated effort to divide Tennesseans in order to advance his political agenda.”

Tempers flared during a high school basketball game in Georgia this month. The heated moment appeared to spark a physical altercation between players from opposing teams. 

TMZ reported that the fight in question happened during a game between Sonoraville High School and Rockmart High School on Jan. 3 in Calhoun, Georgia. Calhoun is located approximately 70 miles from downtown Atlanta.

A video posted to social media appeared to show an unidentified Rockmart player shoving one of Sonoraville’s athletes to the ground. The Rockmart athlete then immediately hit the Sonoraville player in the face immediately after he regained his footing.

The Rockmart player was later seen punching a separate player from the opposing team. 

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAYER JUMPS INTO ACTION TO SAVE OPPONENT’S LIFE AFTER HARROWING ON-COURT COLLAPSE

The second Sonoraville player was hit after he dashed toward the scuffle. Spectators in the crowd could be heard making noises as they reacted to the situation. The video also showed some individuals moving from the stands to the court area to intervene.

The altercation happened during a basketball game between Sonoraville High School and Rockmart High School in Calhoun, Ga., on Jan. 3, 2025.

An incident report from the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office suggested a Rockmart player was provoked by the repeated use of a racial slur by the player from the opposing team.

The teenager who appeared to initiate physical contact during the incident faces two charges of simple battery, per the police report. The brawl broke out during the third quarter of the game.

Officials from Rockmart High School and Sonoraville High School have yet to offer public comment on the incident.

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