PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — Just as the Trump administration moves forward in a dramatic reshaping of the federal government, voters in northwestern Florida’s Congressional district are among the first voters, home to thousands of veterans, to put their presidential agenda on election tests.
State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, a Republican approved by President Donald Trump, is widely expected to win a special election in Florida’s First Congressional District on April 1, and is widely expected to support a narrow majority of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives. The seats were vacant with the resignation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz in the severe Republican district.
In a longshot bid, Democrat Gay Barrymont is about to fire federal workers and ask for a competition from the Department of Government Efficiency Bureau to dismantle federal agencies. Her victory would go against decades of political practice, and could send a big signal about how the president’s offensive second term at the White House plays with voters across the political spectrum.
Florida’s First Congressional District extends across the state’s West Panhandle region, known for its sugar-sanded beaches and vast military facilities, including the country’s largest air force base. The district is home to more veterans than other council districts in the country, and in 2024 Gaetz was re-elected at Valimont with a margin of over 30 points.
But Trump’s executive order and billionaire Elon Musk’s novel tactics of doge have tested the faith of some district’s conservative voters, targeting federal agencies serving local veterans.
The seats were opened after Trump nominated Getz for the Attorney General. Conservatives retreated from consideration during an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct, which he denied.
The district home to veteran braces for VA cuts
With over 89,000 veterans, the First District is home to thousands of families relying on the federal government in a variety of ways, and veterans treat employment as a priority. According to state analysis, defense spending accounts for almost a quarter of northwest Florida’s economy.
The naval ship docked into the tower at Pensacola’s harbor in the city’s historic downtown. Local roads have names like Commander Street and petite officers.
Many service members return to the area to raise or retire their families and seek care at the Pensacola VA Clinic.
Tim Chandler, who served in the Marines for 16 years, volunteered at the clinic every week, helping fellow veterans navigate the complex healthcare system. He praises the VA provider, but hears the car park being packed with cars and is pushed against a patient’s breakpoint.
“We need an emergency room,” Chandler said. “We need a bigger building. We need more doctors to incentive.”
As Doge continues to push in the name of eradicating waste, fraud and abuse, federal officials say it plans to cut more than 80,000 jobs across the Bureau of Veterans Affairs, which has been criticized for its long bureaucratic inefficiency and long waits.
Veterans Secretary Doug Collins said the layoffs would not affect veterans’ medical care or benefits. In a statement, the VA said it claimed that it was exempt from “mission-critical positions” and that it would not be affected by medical staff and processors.
Heather Lindsay, a Republican and mayor of Milton, Florida, is the mayor of Milton, Florida in neighbouring Santa Rosa County, who calls Cut “disastrous” and calls veterans a threat to their brother-like services.
“There are proven needs in this area, and yet they are going to cut VA services,” Lindsay said in an interview.
Jason Boatwright, a former Gaetz staff member, said Patronis should protect the Pensacola VA.
“He stood up and said, ‘Do you want to make a cut? That’s fine, but don’t do it here. You can’t afford it here,” Boat Wright said.
Lindsay said she doesn’t understand “why not more questions are being asked” by Republican leaders like Patronis.
“It has something to do with the future as a nation,” she said.
Democrats’ long shot bid
Valimont, who previously led the Florida branch of the gun control group’s Mama Request Action, has unleashed chaos at the heart of her campaign by the federal agency’s Trump administration.
“Imagine Matt Getz’s seat saves the Department of Education,” she told about 150 people at Pensacola City Hall, which she hosted earlier this month. “We have a shot to get this right, because we might save the whole of America in this seat.”
Pensacola Democrats admitted that her party may not be able to “fix” everything the Trump administration has done, but said she can be backstop to “do nothing wrong.”
Patronis, a former state legislator who has been Florida’s chief financial officer since 2017, has campaigned as a stubborn ally of the president.
In an interview, Patronis said he would challenge Trump if he thought the president’s actions were hurting Northwest Florida, but dismissed concerns that Doge’s efforts to exercise control over Congress-approved programs were illegal.
“Everything that President Trump has unfolded so far, we’ve been rock stepping,” Patronis said. “If Congress has issues with what the President is doing now, we will see what Congress is doing.”
Trump’s support for Patronis in November appeared to be heading towards a more robust Republican primary. The GOP candidate is expected to win easily, despite him not living in the district. This is a fact that ranks local Republicans, although the constitution does not require residence.
Milton Mayor Lindsay is worried that the party’s election control is fostering self-satisfaction between candidates and voters.
“There are many people who think it’s probably not even worth the time,” she said. “The leaders aren’t going to listen to them because they’re listening to President Trump and Elon Musk.”
Even in some states fearing “coming out” as Democrats, Valimont is hoping to beat conservatives by blaming full efforts to cut federal agencies and linking Patronis to Florida’s property insurance crisis. His office supports state insurance regulations. The state has the highest rates in the country.
Valimont’s campaign has raised over $6 million, with party officials saying volunteers from far away have come to help Alaska and Hawaii get votes.
Escambia County Democratic Speaker Derik Scott said he thought he had a chance if Balmont could appeal to conservatives “willing to steal secrets from the grave that he voted for Democrat this time.”
For many local Republicans, losing a seat in District 1 is unthinkable. Doug Stauffer, chairman of Okaloosa County GOP, says the question is not whether or not his party will win, but how much will it win.
“We have to win decisively,” Stauffer said. “Then we failed.”
