Trump-endorsed State Sen. Fine seeks District 6 congressional seat

Republican State Sen. Randy Fine opposed Democrat Josh Weil in the U.S. House of Representatives District 6 special election [Colin Hackley].

Propelled by the president, State Sen. Randy Fine is vying for the District 6 seat in Congress.

Shortly after being endorsed by President Donald Trump to fill the vacancy left after Michael Waltz was appointed National Security Adviser, Fine announced his candidacy to run in the April 1 special election.

His top goal if elected: Supporting Trump and his wishes.

“My No. 1 priority is going to be to help President Trump be successful,” Fine said. “He’s crushing it after three weeks (in office), but in a year and a half, we have to go back before the voters and show them that their trust was justified.”

Fine defeated Aaron Baker and Ehsan Joarder to win the Republican nomination, and now opposes Democrat Josh Weil in the special election.

U.S. House District 6 encompasses parts of Volusia, Lake, Flagler, Marion, Putnam and St. Johns counties. Fine currently represents Florida’s District 19 in the state senate, from Titusville to Sebastian.

Fine lives in Melbourne Beach, about an hour away from the district. He is originally from Kentucky.

After the November general election, the House was 220 Republican seats to 215 Democrats. Republicans have since lost Waltz, Matt Gaetz and Elise Stefanik due to resignations, narrowing the gap to 217 and 215.

The special elections being held to fill these vacancies have the chance to affect which part holds the majority of the House.

“We have the presidency, we have the Senate, we have a very narrow majority in the House, and so we are in charge,” Fine said. “Voters will hold us accountable, so I want to be part of the team that shows that they made the right choice.”

While running for Congressional office, Fine has continued pushing legislation within the State Senate and has filed multiple high-profile bills.

Fine is pushing to lower the gun purchasing age to 18; bar children of immigrants or “Dreamers” to from getting the in-state tuition rate at public universities; and ban LGTBQ pride, Black Lives Matter and Palestinian flags from being displayed at public buildings.

“(State Sen.) Joe Gruters and I are Trump’s two best lieutenants in Florida, and so we are pushing the strongest anti-illegal immigration bill in the country to help Florida be set up to help President Trump,” Fine said.

Before being elected to the Florida House 2016, where he served until being elected to the Florida Senate in 2024, Fine worked as an executive in the casino industry.

“I was a software entrepreneur for 22 years,” Fine said. “I started, built and grew three businesses. The last one was in the casino business.”

Fine’s net worth, according to his last financial disclosure on April 30, 2024, is $30.3 million. That sum includes over $21.2 million in stock holdings, his $5.8 million home in Melbourne Beach, and household goods and personal effects worth over $1.9 million.

Fine earns a salary of $29,697 as a state senator. He also earns a $329,707 income from Jayvid Holdings LLC.

Within his assets, Fine also disclosed a $250,000 personal loan to the Friends of Randy Fine political action committee. He has raised $426,712 in contributions to his campaign. Of that sum, $355,612 is from individuals and $71,100 is from PACs.

PACS that have contributed to Fine’s campaign include: GrayRobinson P.A. PAC, Westfield Federal Employee PAC of Ohio Farmers Insurance Company, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation PAC, National Cattleman’s Beef Association PAC, Build PAC of the National Association of Home Builders, Be an American PAC, Raptor PAC, National Association of Realtors PAC, Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America PAC, Let’s Get to Work PAC, Dave Taylor for Congress, Building America’s Republican Representation PAC, American Revival PAC, The Geo Group Inc. PAC, The Eye of the Tiger PAC, Scalise for Congress, Troy Downing for Congress, Victory and Nation PAC, and Maintaining all Republicans in Office PAC.

While Fine lives in Melbourne Beach, he said he has been campaigning through all six counties in District 6 on his way to and from Tallahassee for his responsibilities as senator.

Because he lives well outside of the district, Fine said he “was not planning to run” for the seat until the president made a call to him on social media to run.

“President Trump needs to be successful, and if he thinks I can help in some small way, I have no choice but to go help him,” Fine said.

At the local level, Fine said he believes there are issues that are unanimous across the counties represented, such as water quality.

“In Flagler County, they are worried about beach renourishment,” Fine said. “Marion County is going to be a lot more about the springs.”

In 2023, Fine was accused of threatening to veto funding to the city of West Melbourne over a personal dispute with a school board member in Brevard County. An investigation by the Florida Commission of Ethics substantiated the accusation. A state administrative law judge was expected to hold a hearing or trial on the case but instead sent the matter back to the state’s Ethics Commission for rehearing.

Fine said he has no concerns about the complaint.

“It’s a frivolous complaint filed by a Democrat politician,” Fine said. “We’re not worried about it.”

Leading up to the election on April 1, Fine is juggling between running his campaign for Congress and fulfilling his duties as a state senator. He said the adjustment has been demanding, but he and his family were up to the challenge.

Fine is married with two sons, aged 13 and 16. He said it was his children’s schooling that has influenced his work in education legislation, he said.

“Education is what could take a lower-middle class kid from Kentucky and turn them into an entrepreneur,” he said.

Early voting will be open from March 22 until March 29. The polls will be open on election day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.