CNN anchor Jake Tapper was quick to spin the margin of victory for Florida’s former Chief Financial Officer Jim Patronis, who won the seat vacated by former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Tuesday.
Gaetz, who was initially tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as Attorney General, withdrew his nomination for the post — but not before he resigned his seat in the House of Representatives. But when Patronis was projected to win the seat on Tuesday, CNN’s Tapper was quick to point out that his margin of victory would not come close to Gaetz’s 37-point margin in November of 2024.
WATCH:
You know things are bad for the Democrats when they're celebrating double digit losses in Congressional races.
"He is going to win, we're projecting a win for him [Patronis]. But Dana, it's not a 35 point win." pic.twitter.com/xWhxjltMVU
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) April 2, 2025
“Patronis is a strong candidate,” Tapper said, before adding, “And he is — he’s going to win, we’re projecting a win for him — but Dana, it’s not a 35-point win that it should be in ruby red panhandle Florida.”
“You’re exactly right,” fellow anchor Dana Bash agreed. “And it is the whole question of the margins, Jake, that is what Democrats have been looking at all night.”
Critics pointed out that Tapper was trying to spin a double-digit loss as some kind of a win for Democrats.
“CNN is always funny to watch on election night when Republican are winning!” Brigitte Gabriel posted.
CNN is always funny to watch on election night when Republican are winning!
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) April 2, 2025
Others pointed out that Patronis’ race — and the other Florida race to fill the seat vacated by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz — were special elections held alongside municipal elections and, therefore, required a different calculus when looking at what the margins of victory might mean.
Special elections often see much lower turnout — and that can lead to slimmer margins of victory and even upsets in the final results.
In 2017, a very similar scene played out in Kansas after President Donald Trump nominated then-Congressman Mike Pompeo to serve as his CIA Director. Despite Pompeo winning his seat the previous November by a comfortable 31 points, his replacement Ron Estes was only able to eke out a six-point victory. In 2020, Estes won the same seat by 27 points. He won by 27 points again in 2022, and by 30 points in 2024.
