{"id":2418939,"date":"2025-04-02T12:42:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T16:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-accuses-randy-fine-of-lying-in-underperformance-of-special-election\/"},"modified":"2025-04-02T12:43:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T16:43:14","slug":"desantis-accuses-randy-fine-of-lying-in-underperformance-of-special-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-accuses-randy-fine-of-lying-in-underperformance-of-special-election\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis accuses Randy Fine of \u2018lying\u2019 in \u2018underperformance\u2019 of special election"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdesantis-accuses-randy-fine-of-lying-in-underperformance-of-special-election%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2418939&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-top-covid-experts-tell-biden-to-scrap-widespread-booster-shot-plan-in-tense-phone-call\/\" title=\"Report: Top COVID Experts Tell Biden To Scrap Widespread Booster Shot Plan In \u2018Tense\u2019 Phone Call\">recent public statement<\/a>, Florida governor Ron DeSantis criticized republican State Senator Randy Fine following Fine&#8217;s victory in a special election. DeSantis accused Fine of misleadingly inflating his performance, noting that Fine won by a 14% margin, compared to desantis\u2019 own 35% victory in the same district during the previous election. DeSantis referred to fine as a &#8220;squish Republican,&#8221; suggesting that Fine\u2019s past support for Second Amendment restrictions hurt his electability. Despite the criticism, DeSantis acknowledged that President Trump\u2019s support helped Fine&#8217;s campaign, although he stated that many Republican voters were not excited about Fine as a candidate. DeSantis emphasized the need for strong leadership from the Republican Party in Florida to maintain their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meckler-h-r-1-marks-end-of-u-s-democracy-states-must-stand-up\/\" title=\"Meckler: H.R. 1 marks end of U.S. democracy, ...s must stand up\">political dominance<\/a>, especially in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-dems-coming-together-against-n-y-gov-andrew-cuomo\/\" title=\"GOP, Dems coming together against N.Y. Gov Andrew Cuomo\">upcoming gubernatorial election<\/a>. Additionally, he hinted at potential candidacy developments, notably regarding his wife, Casey DeSantis, while discussing the political landscape in the state.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">DeSantis accuses Randy Fine of &lsquo;lying&rsquo; in &lsquo;underperformance&rsquo; of special election<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2081191\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ron-desantis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ron DeSantis<\/a> (R-FL) took a swipe over Republican state Sen. Randy Fine&rsquo;s victory on Wednesday, accusing the &ldquo;squish Republican&rdquo; of overselling his margin of victory against his opponent.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3365542\/randy-fine-wins-florida-special-election-replace-waltz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Fine&rsquo;s race in Florida&rsquo;s 6th District <\/a>was called Tuesday evening, in which he led his opponent, Orlando teacher Josh Weil, by approximately 14% when 95% of the votes were counted. DeSantis argued that Fine was &ldquo;lying&rdquo; when he claimed he won the district &ldquo;by the same time I did in &lsquo;22,&rdquo; when the governor won the district by 35%, meaning that the candidate did turn in an &ldquo;underperformance&rdquo; in his race.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/3367542\/watch-live-chuck-schumer-senate-democrats-press-conference-trump-tariffs\/\">WATCH LIVE: Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats hold press conference before Trump tariffs announcement<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3367546\/north-korea-us-japan-missile-deal-warning-signal-adds-strategic-instability-region\/\">North Korea calls US-Japan missile deal &#8216;warning signal&#8217; that adds &#8216;strategic instability&#8217; to region<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3367538\/hunter-biden-business-partner-trump-commuting-sentence\/\">Hunter Biden&#8217;s former business partner thanks Trump for commuting sentence<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Beyond this lack of voter turnout, DeSantis claimed that Fine&rsquo;s record as a &ldquo;squish Republican&rdquo; also hindered his electability, citing how the lawmaker had supported Second Amendment restrictions and also supported making <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Florida<\/a> a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">de facto sanctuary state<\/a>.&rdquo; Despite this, DeSantis credited President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a> and the tele-town halls he conducted for Fine as a lifeline for the candidate.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it was a reflection of the president&rsquo;s agenda, but I think a lot of these Republican voters basically, &lsquo;alright, we&rsquo;re going to take one for the team,&rsquo;&rdquo; DeSantis argued on Fox News&rsquo;s <em>America&rsquo;s Newsroom<\/em>. &ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t really like the candidate, but when the president phoned it in, they said, &lsquo;alright, we&rsquo;re gonna go do it,&rsquo; and so that was a good Election Day turnout, I think better than people were anticipating. But they had to spend a lot of money on the Republican side for that, too, and I think that was because the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/who-said-it-best-vp-contenders-audition-for-slot-by-slamming-vance-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Who said it best: VP contenders audition for slot by slamming Vance - Washington Examiner\">candidate didn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t get a lot of support from our grassroots.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 100%; max-width: 640px; max-height: 360px; min-width: 320px; min-height: 180px; overflow: hidden;\">\n<div style=\"position: relative; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/share.grabien.com\/share.php?id=2871782&amp;userid=11311&amp;loginid=9421&amp;playercolor=%23000000&amp;playersize=auto&amp;code=c8ba1297c6a527bd4f022a716d0543d2\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0px;\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>DeSantis was then pressed on Florida&rsquo;s 6th District, moving by 10% in the 2024 presidential election, prompting the governor to push back and argue that Trump won this district by 30% against former Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Kamala Harris<\/a>. He argued that various Republican super political action committees spent around $5 million in the 6th District, where the party &ldquo;usually&rdquo; would not have to spend any money to win, which was due to the &ldquo;problems&rdquo; that Republican voters had with Fine.<\/p>\n<p>The governor also rebuked the idea that some could spin this underperformance as a reflection of Trump&rsquo;s leadership, contending that it is because of the president&rsquo;s help that Fine got a boost in his election.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3367230\/florida-wisconsin-election-results-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">FLORIDA AND WISCONSIN RESULTS OFFER FIRST GLIMMER OF HOPE FOR DEMOCRATS SINCE NOVEMBER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Regarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Florida&rsquo;s gubernatorial election next year<\/a>, DeSantis stated that the Republican Party needs &ldquo;a strong leader&rdquo; if the party wants to keep its hold on the state, warning that the state will revert to being &ldquo;purple&rdquo; if it does not. When asked if his wife, Casey, would join the race as a candidate, DeSantis at first attempted to evade the question. Fox News host Bill Hemmer then pressed him for a direct answer, and DeSantis touted the relationship Florida&rsquo;s first couple has with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump before adding he&rsquo;d &ldquo;let everyone know&rdquo; once a decision has been made, urging people to &ldquo;hold tight&rdquo; until then.<\/p>\n<p>In February, Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/byron-donalds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Byron Donalds<\/a> (R-FL) officially announced that he would seek the governor&rsquo;s mansion in 2026, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3367127\/byron-donalds-florida-governor-run-fundraising-surge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">his campaign surging in financial donations since then<\/a>. Donalds, who is endorsed by Trump, has also expressed confidence <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3363690\/byron-donalds-claims-likely-get-desantis-endorsement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">he will also receive DeSantis&rsquo;s endorsement<\/a>; earlier this year, the lawmaker said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3305883\/byron-donalds-admits-friendship-desantis-frayed-endorsing-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">his friendship with the governor &ldquo;frayed&rdquo;<\/a> when Donalds endorsed Trump over DeSantis in the 2024 presidential election.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2081191\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2081191\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DeSantis claims Randy Fine exaggerated his election win margin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2632,"featured_media":2418940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DeSantis-2025-special-elections-scaled-1024x684.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[8460,4980,5894,52548,37103],"class_list":["post-2418939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-accusations","tag-desantis","tag-politics","tag-randy-fine","tag-special-election"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DeSantis-2025-special-elections-scaled-1024x684.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2632"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2418939"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2418943,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418939\/revisions\/2418943"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2418940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2418939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2418939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2418939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}