Republican Wins Special Election As Dems Fall Short After Massive Efforts
Republican Hilary Holley has defeated Democrat Edwin Pérez in a Special Election for Florida House District 51, denying Democrats a pickup they had hoped to secure in a Midterm election year. With nearly all precincts reporting, Holley won with about 55% of the vote, holding the seat for Republicans.
Holley will replace term-limited Republican Rep. Josie Tomkow in the Polk County-based district. The race had drawn attention as Democrats looked to capitalize on broader economic concerns and Midterm dynamics, Florida Politics reported.
“Representative-Elect Hilary Holley in House District 51 will be a tremendous addition to the Florida House of Representatives, given her unmatched experience in the agricultural community,” House Speaker-Designate Sam Garrison said. “Voters have made the right decision in electing the far superior candidate,” he said.
District 51 includes much of Polk County, including Polk City, Davenport, Haines City, Lake Alfred and Auburndale. Despite a slightly narrower margin than Tomkow’s nearly 57% win in 2024, Republicans maintained a clear advantage in the district.
Voter registration numbers also favored the GOP, with roughly 34% of voters registered as Republicans compared to about 31% as Democrats. Nearly one-third of voters in the district are not affiliated with a political party.
Holley also held a significant fundraising edge throughout the race. She raised more than $122,000, along with nearly $134,000 in in-kind contributions, largely from Republican Party organizations.
Pérez raised just over $13,000 and added a $2,000 loan, with less than $1,800 in in-kind support. The financial gap underscored the uphill battle Democrats faced in attempting to flip the seat.
Holley secured endorsements from several prominent Florida Republicans, including former state Sen. Denise Grimsley, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and former Rep. Neil Combee. She also received backing from Tomkow, whom she will replace.
Holley currently serves as Executive Director of the Florida FFA Foundation, overseeing programs that support more than 65,000 student members across the state. She previously worked as a legislative aide and held roles in agricultural education and public service.
Pérez, a community advocate from Haines City, centered his campaign on affordability issues, rising insurance costs and a projected funding shortfall in the Polk County school district. Officials have warned the current $2.5 million gap could grow significantly in the coming years.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is criticizing a Republican-led election bill, accusing GOP lawmakers of pushing what he described as “voter suppression” measures. His comments came ahead of an expected vote on the SAVE America Act in the House, Fox News reported.
“Republicans have adopted voter suppression as an electoral strategy. That’s what the so-called SAVE Act is all about,” Jeffries said during a press conference. He argued the latest version of the bill goes further than a previous iteration passed in 2025.
The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship for voter registration nationwide. It would also establish a federal voter ID requirement for casting ballots in national elections.
The legislation, led by Rep. Chip Roy and Sen. Mike Lee, includes provisions aimed at improving the verification of voter eligibility. Supporters argue the bill is necessary to secure elections and ensure only eligible citizens vote.
Jeffries also raised concerns about data-sharing provisions in the bill. “This version, as I understand it, will actually give the Department of Homeland Security the power to get voting records from states across the country,” Jeffries said.
He questioned why such authority would be granted, suggesting it could lead to misuse of voter data. Republicans have rejected those claims and maintain the bill is focused on election integrity.
The House is expected to take up the measure for a vote in the coming days.
Trump Issues Statement Regarding Health of Mitch McConnell
Weeks after former GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was hospitalized for a reportedly serious heart condition, there has been much speculation about his current condition.
Rumors are also swirling about whether he can complete his term, which ends in January.
Initially, reports said that McConnell suffered a “cardiac arrest” and was administered CPR – a health condition that is normally fatal, even for victims much younger than McConnell, who is 84 and has an extensive history of health problems.
But later, in one of the few public updates on the Kentucky Republican’s condition, his staff only said that he was receiving “excellent care.”
However, others who should know more about McConnell’s condition don’t. That includes the president of the United States.
Libby Dean, the White House correspondent for NewsNation, tweeted on Wednesday: “President Trump says he has ‘no idea’ how Sen. Mitch McConnell is doing and says he hasn’t spoken with the Kentucky Republican since McConnell’s hospitalization.”
Now, the governor of the Bluegrass State has grown concerned enough that he has reached out to the senator to inquire about his health.
“As Governor, I request that you fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health,” Gov. Andy Beshear,a Democrat who is seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, wrote in a letter to McConnell on Wednesday.
“As public officeholders, we have made a commitment to our constituents to do our best to represent them and to always be transparent,” Beshear’s letter continued.
“I believe this requires clear communication about one’s ability to serve,” he added.
Several top Republicans were asked about McConnell’s condition on Tuesday, and their responses were not reassuring.
Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee has said that even members of Congress are in the dark about McConnell’s current condition.
Speculation has surrounded the health of the 84-year-old McConnell since the Kentucky senator was found unconscious and required CPR at his home in Washington, D.C., weeks ago.
McConnell’s staff has provided no significant update on his condition since he was hospitalized June 14.
The secrecy has fueled speculation that there is an effort to keep the full extent of the Republican’s condition from the public and has raised questions about whether he will be able to return to office.
On Monday night, MAGA social media user Mila Joy wondered why other senators haven’t spoken out about McConnell’s condition.
“Because they are ALL in on it together. That’s why,” Joy posted to her 571,000 X followers.
In reply, Sen. Lee posted: “Many of us aren’t speaking about Mitch McConnell’s condition because we know nothing about his condition.”
But Lee’s assessment contradicts earlier comments from Senate Majority Leader John Thune after McConnell was first hospitalized.
Thune said he had spoken to the 84-year-old and that he “sounded good.”
“He wants to be back, but I’ll defer to his staff on when,” Thune said on June 15.
Popular conservative activist Laura Loomer claimed recently that sources told her that McConnell is in a “vegetative state,” dismissing Thune’s version of events.
Things with McConnell have gotten worse by the day.
Since the reported incident, McConnell’s office has provided scant details on the former Senate GOP leader’s health condition, except to say that he allegedly “appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.”
His office last week also said the 84-year-old senator “continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
Trump ‘Briefed With Options’ Amid Stalled Iran Talks
The Trump administration on Wednesday continued to express optimism about negotiations with Iran, even as Iranian officials insist that no direct talks have taken place, according to reports.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister said no face-to-face meeting had occurred in Doha and that no direct negotiations with the United States were currently planned.
Despite Tehran’s position, President Donald Trump described the discussions as “very good,” apparently referring to indirect contacts involving U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicating through third-party intermediaries.
Vice President JD Vance struck a firmer tone the same day, warning that the United States could escalate its response if Iran refuses to cooperate or takes actions that further destabilize the Middle East.
His remarks underscored the administration’s message that while it remains open to a diplomatic resolution, additional measures remain on the table if negotiations fail.
“If Iran attempts to rebuild its nuclear program, threaten its neighbors and support terrorism, President Trump has options to deal with it,” Vance noted, without elaborating.
Earlier, a Wall Street Journal report claimed that Trump had been briefed on several military options, including “all-out war,” but Trump said he wanted to give diplomacy more time.
Vance additionally stated that the US “dropped bombs on Iran because it fired on ships, and we used leverage to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”
He went on to suggest that the U.S. could take that course of action again.
Vance also said the current talks are “to discuss the details and flow of maritime traffic.”
The vice president, addressing U.S. military personnel at a naval base in Virginia on Wednesday, also said that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back decades.
“If you look at what our own intelligence says about their nuclear program, they are further away from developing a nuclear bomb than they have ever been since basically the last 20 or 30 years,” Vance said, though he stopped short of Trump’s claim that the program had been “totally obliterated.”
“What the president asks you to accomplish is to destroy the defense industrial base of that country, so that if they ever decided to rebuild their military, or if they ever decided to rebuild that nuclear program, they would be harmless to do it. You did that exactly as well,” Vance added, per the Times of Israel.
The VP went on to say that Trump is now “negotiating from a position of strength because of you.”
“If the Iranians try to rebuild the nuclear program, the President’s got options. If the Iranians try to threaten their neighbors or fund terrorism, we’ve got options,” Vance continued.
“But what we must never do is drop bombs just for the sake of dropping bombs. And that is what the president will never ask you to do,” Vance added.
“He’ll ask you to go to war, yes. But when he asks you to go to war, he’ll tell you exactly what you’re going for,” the veep noted further.
“And I think that is what you should expect out of your political leadership.”
“What I noticed about the people who are attacking the administration for negotiating is that they are the very same people who, for example, encouraged us to just go a little bit further and just drop a few more bombs in places like Afghanistan,” he said.
“If you go back to the mistakes that were made, those very same people refused to say what we were dropping bombs for,” he added.
“We dropped some bombs a couple of days ago… Because the Iranians were shooting at commercial ships… We applied some leverage, and we’ve had free commercial transit for the last three days,” Vance told the naval personnel.
