News
By Michael Hernandez, 4-2-25
CALIRED NEWS–Republican Jimmy Patronis, Florida chief financial officer and fire marshal, defeated Democrat candidate Gary Valimont (57-42 percent) in Florida’s 1st Congressional District previously held by Congressman Matt Gatez (R-FL). Patronis, while being outspent $6.4 million compared to his $1.2 million won the election. This district is in Florida’s Panhandle.
Republican State Senator Randy Fine defeated Democrat Joshua Weil in Florida’s 6th Congressional District (which stretches from near Jacksonville to Daytona Beach) for the seat held by former Congressman MIchael Waltz, now serving as President Trump’s National Security Advisor. Trump won this district by more than 30 points in November. However, in the last month of campaign financing, Weil had outraised Fine 10:1 or $10 million to $1 million. Fine won by 14 percentage points (57-43 percent).
Both congressional districts were in areas favoring Republicans 2:1.
Candidates, Parties Spend Near $100 Million In Wisconsin’s Supreme Court Race
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford defeated Brad Schimel, a former Republican attorney general (55 to 44 percent with 70 percent reporting) for a seat in the Wisconsin Supreme Court in what has been billed as the most expensive Supreme Court seat in state history, if not in the nation’s history. President Donald J. Trump won Wisconsin by 1.7 million votes in the fall election. Wisconsin has a same-day voter registration law.
Lawrence Wilson, Breitbart News, reported that the Crawford campaign spent $21 million and the Schimel campaign about $10 million. Meanwhile, more than $81 million was spent by other groups in support of the candidates, according to The Brennan Center for Justice, a progressive nonprofit law and public policy institute at New York University School of Law.
Contributions above $20,000 may not be given directly to political candidates, but donors can contribute larger amounts through state political parties or political action committees. Billionaire Elon Musk contributed $3 million to the Wisconsin Republican Party while billionaires Geroge Soros and JB Pizker contributed $2 million and $1.5 million to the Wisconsin Democrat Party. Others making large contributions include Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a supporter of abortions and transgenderism, contributed $500,000 and tech billionaire Reid Hoffman gave $250,000.
The Wisconsin State Supreme Court has a 4-3 Democrat leaning as Crawford replaces retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley at the end of July. Wisconsin justices serve 10-year terms. The next election for a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice will not happen until 2028. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is expected to decide on the state’s redistricting which will impact the number of U.S. House members in Congress.
Crawford is a “radical leftist” who opposes school choice and voter identification laws and would redraw congressional districts, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a former Wisconsin congressman. Meanwhile, Crawford allies cast the race as a referendum on Elon Musk.
Democrats made this election largely about abortion. Republicans were able to close some of the gap in election spending. The Democrat candidate, Janet Protasiewicz, outspent the conservative candidate Dan Kelly by raising six times more money than her opponent in the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election.
Meanwhile, Jose Felipe Alvergue, the chair of the English Department at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has been placed on administrative leave after allegedly flipping the College Republicans’ table on Tuesday. The student group was promoting conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel and superintendent candidate Britttany Kinser, both of whom lost their elections on Tuesday, reported Fox News Reporter Audrey Conklin.
CaliRed News is a column posted on Making California Red by the 2026 elections through reaching Gen Z (ages 13-28), Hispanics, and Christians with biblical traditional values and their pastors. CaliRed News reports on political, business, community, nonprofit, and church news. Free subscriptions are available by going to:
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Michael Hernandez, is co-founder of the Citizens Journal–Ventura County’s online news service and writes for Citizensjournal.net. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor, writer of “CaliRed News” on Substack.com and edits the weekly “Stories Speak Volumes” and monthly “Election 2026 Countdown.” Mr. Hernandez mentors citizens journalists/podcasters and can be contacted at [email protected].
