Democrats outraged at Trump's changes pour millions of dollars into 2 special elections in Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Democrats, with few electoral outlets for their outrage at President Donald Trump's dramatic restructuring of the federal government, are pouring millions of dollars into two special elections in Florida.

That's where Democratic candidates are trying to accomplish the improbable by flipping a pair of Trump-friendly congressional seats and carving into Republicans’ narrow 218 to 213 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. While Democratic leaders aren't predicting outright wins in such Republican-leaning districts, they say they think they'll exceed expectations. And they sound especially hopeful about the 6th Congressional District, where a public school teacher has out raised a Trump-endorsed state senator by a nearly 10-to-1 margin in the race to replace Mike Waltz, who was tapped by Trump to be a national security adviser in what was widely seen as a move without much political risk.

Democrats' challenge in both districts is formidable, but the money has been pouring in.

“The floodgates have really opened,” said Aubrey Jewett, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida. “It’s like, wow.”

Republicans, including Trump, have noticed too, and are looking to head off an embarrassing outcome. The president joined both Republican candidates by telephone on separate tele-town halls Thursday to help get out the vote in the “all-important" elections.

Winning both races next Tuesday would be colossal for a Democratic Party that has struggled to settle on a way to push back during the early days of the second Trump administration. Winning either — or even narrowing the margin in districts the president won by more than 30 points less than five months ago — could help alleviate the panic that set in among party leaders after Republicans swept both houses of Congress and the presidency in November.

National Democrats point to the fundraising hauls in some of the most conservative parts of Florida as a sign that voters are already fed up with the president’s aggressive second term, a message they’re hoping to parlay into grassroots support — and more money — ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Voters in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts will be among the first to put the new administration to an electoral test in the April 1 special elections to fill seats once held by former Reps. Matt Gaetz and Waltz, who were both tapped to join the Trump administration.

Gaetz withdrew from consideration to be attorney general amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has denied. Waltz currently finds himself at the center of controversy over the texting of sensitive military plans for an attack on Houthis in Yemen to a group that included a journalist.

Democrats Gay Valimont in the 1st District and Josh Weil in the 6th District have both far outraised and outspent their Trump-backed Republican competitors, in districts the president won by 30 points or more in 2024.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who’s running in the 1st District, and state Sen. Randy Fine in the 6th District have both campaigned as staunch allies of the president, who endorsed them in the primary.

But with donations for the Democrats flooding in from all 50 states, Republicans are funneling resources into the races in the hopes the GOP won't “get embarrassed” Tuesday by a better-than-expected showing by Democrats.

“I want it to be a landslide,” said Doug Stauffer, chair of the GOP in Okaloosa County, which is part of the 1st District. “And if it’s not, then we haven’t done the right thing for the constituents.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is already pushing the message that if Democrats overperform in the districts, resistance to Trump’s second term could help them take back the House in 2026.

“These are races that should not under ordinary circumstances be on anyone’s political radar. They are safe Republican seats that Donald Trump won by more than 30 points,” Jeffries told reporters this week. “The American people are not buying what the Republicans are selling. That is why they are on the run.”

In the 6th District, which extends north of Orlando, Florida, Weil has pulled in an eye-popping $9 million, according to the most recent campaign finance reports. That’s nearly 10 times the fundraising reported by Fine, a self-described “conservative firebrand” and former gambling industry executive known for his anti-LGBTQ stances and combative approach to politics.

In recent days, Fine has come under pressure from Republican leaders to raise more money, and has ponied up $600,000 of his own fortune for his campaign, he told The Associated Press. Plus, outside groups are spending more than $2 million to help Fine, according to data from AdImpact, narrowing the fundraising gap.

North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, acknowledged that Fine should have stepped up his fundraising earlier, but said he'll be a strong member of Congress.

“I’m not concerned about margins,” Hudson said. “I mean, special elections are special.”

According to an email shared with the AP, even people in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ orbit are working to gin up support for Fine — a notable development because of the venom the two Sunshine State Republicans hold for each other, after Fine publicly turned on DeSantis to endorse Trump during the 2024 presidential primary.

In a message to voters this week, a DeSantis staffer urged “grassroots warriors” to knock on doors and make phone calls in the 6th District, saying the race “is at a critical crossroads” and “the stakes couldn’t be higher.”

Bryan Piligra, a spokesperson for the Fine campaign, said they appreciate the help.

“The only thing that matters is making sure Republicans are united to defeat radical Democrats like Josh Weil who will stop at nothing to destroy President Trump,” Piligra said in a statement.

Weil, in a statement of his own, said the “tides are turning” on the GOP as Trump pushes to fire federal workers and dismantle federal agencies.

Weil said he’s grateful to those “who have invested in my campaign and made this a truly grassroots effort. It’s because of them that we have Republicans scrambling.”

Still, the chair of the Republican Party of Florida, Evan Power, said he’s confident the Republican candidates will win their races because “we have the ground game.” But he acknowledged that turnout tends to fall significantly during special elections, which could cut into the GOP’s margin of victory.

“Republicans haven’t done as great in special elections as they do in general elections,” Power said.

Some observers say the national attention being paid to Democrats in safe Republican districts is itself a victory for the minority party. But Jewett, the political scientist, said it would take a “miracle” for Democrats to win either seat.

“Money is important in elections,” Jewett said. “But it can only — usually — it can only take you so far.”

Associated Press writers Leah Askarinam in Washington and Stephany Matat in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report. Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

FILE - Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis speaks during a meeting between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state cabinet at the Florida capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., on March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

FILE - A sign for Democrat Gay Valimont is displayed outside the Escambia County Democratic Party office in Pensacola, Fla. on March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Kate Payne, file)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin voters decided Tuesday to enshrine the state's voter ID law in the state constitution.

The state was also electing its top education official, who will guide policies affecting K-12 schools during President Donald Trump’s second term, will be elected Tuesday in a race between the teachers union-backed incumbent and a Republican-supported critic.

Both contests had sharp partisan divisions, though they have drawn far less spending and national attention than the race for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Polls closed at 8 p.m. CDT.

Here’s a look at the two contests:

Wisconsin’s photo ID requirement for voting will be elevated from state law to constitutional amendment under a proposal approved by voters.

The Republican-controlled Legislature placed the measure on the ballot and pitched it as a way to bolster election security and protect the law from being overturned in court.

President Donald Trump trumpeted the measure's approval on his social media platform, Truth Social, calling it “maybe the biggest win of the night.”

“It should allow us to win Wisconsin, like I just did in the presidential election, for many years to come!" he said.

Trump narrowly lost Wisconsin to Joe Biden in 2020 but defeated Kamala Harris last November election to claim its 10 electoral votes.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who is leading Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal government, also noted the outcome on his social media platform, X, saying: “Yeah!”

Democratic opponents argued that photo ID requirements are often enforced unfairly, making voting more difficult for people of color, disabled people and poor people.

All Voting is Local, a nonpartisan voting rights organization, warned that placing the photo ID mandate in the constitution will make it harder to vote.

“We should not be purposefully leaving eligible voters behind by setting up additional barriers to the ballot, but unfortunately, those in the Badger State have one more step to take before voting,” Sam Liebert, the organization's state director, said in a statement.

Wisconsin voters won't notice any changes when they go to the polls. They will still have to present a valid photo ID just as they have under the state law, which was passed in 2011 and went into effect permanently in 2016 after a series of unsuccessful lawsuits.

Placing the photo ID requirement in the constitution makes it more difficult for a future Legislature controlled by Democrats to change the law. Any constitutional amendment must be approved in two consecutive legislative sessions and by a statewide popular vote.

Wisconsin is one of nine states where people must present photo ID to vote, and its requirement is the nation’s strictest, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Thirty-six states have laws requiring or requesting that voters show some sort of identification, according to the NCSL.

The race to lead the state Department of Public Instruction pits incumbent Jill Underly, who is backed by Democrats and the teachers union, against consultant Brittany Kinser, a supporter of the private school voucher program who is endorsed by Republicans but calls herself a moderate.

Wisconsin is the only state where voters elect the top education official but there is no state board of education. That gives the superintendent broad authority to oversee education policy, from dispersing school funding to managing teacher licensing.

The winner will take office at a time when test scores are still recovering from the pandemic, the achievement gap between white and Black students remains the worst in the country and more schools are asking voters to raise property taxes to pay for operations.

Underly’s education career began in 1999 as a high school social studies teacher in Indiana. She moved to Wisconsin in 2005 and worked for five years at the state education department. She also was principal of Pecatonica Elementary School for a year before becoming district administrator.

Underly, 47, was elected state superintendent in 2021 and was endorsed by the union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, as well as the Wisconsin Democratic Party and numerous Democratic officeholders.

Kinser, whose backers include the Wisconsin Republican Party and former Republican Govs. Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker, is vying to become the first GOP-affiliated person to hold the superintendent position in more than 30 years.

She worked for almost 10 years as a special education teacher and instructional coach in Chicago Public Schools. After that she spent 15 years at public charter schools in Chicago, California and Milwaukee.

In the Milwaukee area, Kinser worked for Rocketship schools, part of a national network of public charter institutions, and became its executive director for the region.

In 2022 she left Rocketship for City Forward Collective, a Milwaukee nonprofit that advocates for charter and voucher schools. She also founded a consulting firm where she currently works.

Kinser, 47, tried to brand Underly as being a poor manager of the Department of Public Instruction and keyed in on her overhaul of state achievement standards last year.

Underly said that was done to better reflect what students are learning now, but the change was met with bipartisan opposition including from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who was previously state superintendent himself. Evers has not made an endorsement in the race.

Kinser said the new standards lowered the bar for students and made it more difficult to evaluate how schools and districts are performing over time.

Underly portrayed Kinser as nothing more than a lobbyist who doesn’t care about public education. Kinser supports the state’s private school voucher and charter school program, which Democrats and Underly oppose on the grounds that such programs siphon needed money away from public schools.

Maximillian Marquez, left, walks to a voting booth at the Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language to cast a ballot in the state's Supreme Court election, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

A voter casts a ballot during early voting in Waukesha, Wis., Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)