The Florida Special Election That Has MAGA Terrified (Josh Weil Interview)

Summary

Summary of "The Florida Special Election That Has MAGA Terrified (Josh Weil Interview)"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The MeidasTouch Podcast
• Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas of the MeidasTouch Network
• Description: Combining brotherly banter, comedy, news coverage, and discussions on supporting democracy, the Meiselas brothers engage millions of supporters globally. The podcast features interviews with top political leaders and offers live video episodes on YouTube.
• Episode: The Florida Special Election That Has MAGA Terrified (Josh Weil Interview)
• Release Date: March 28, 2025

---

Introduction to the Special Election

Timestamp: [01:26]

The episode delves into the high-stakes special election for Florida's 6th Congressional District, spotlighting Democrat Josh Wheel and Republican Randy Fine. The Meiselas brothers set the stage by highlighting the district's significant shift and the implications for broader political dynamics.

Candidate Profiles: Josh Wheel vs. Randy Fine

Timestamp: [03:45]

Randy Fine:

• Background: State Senator in Florida, aligned with MAGA ideology.

• Behavior: Described as an "ultra MAGA doge extremist," Fine is criticized for his authoritarian statements and unpopularity among constituents.

• Controversies:

  • Tough Stance on Reproductive Health: At a hearing on women's reproductive health, Fine issued threats of arrest for women who "dare even breathe" in the chamber.

  Notable Quote:

  "If I can hear you breathe from my seat, that will be the standard. So I would encourage people to keep that in mind." — Randy Fine [03:45]

Josh Wheel:

• Background: Public school teacher running as the Democratic candidate.
• Campaign Focus: Advocating for the preservation of Social Security, veterans benefits, Medicaid, and Medicare. Emphasizes addressing the needs of a district with 25% of its population aged 65 and over.
• Campaign Strategy: Robust fundraising, effective outreach, and a strong ground game contrasting Fine's lackluster efforts.

Campaign Dynamics and Early Voting Insights

Timestamp: [05:22] – [10:06]

The host and Josh Wheel discuss the stark contrasts between their campaigns. While Wheel has been actively engaging voters and building a solid campaign infrastructure, Fine has been criticized for minimal campaigning and inadequate fundraising.

Notable Points:

• Fundraising Disparity: Fine failed to raise significant funds, which has hampered his campaign's ability to compete effectively.
• Voter Engagement: Early voting data indicates strong support for Wheel, with apprehension growing among MAGA supporters regarding Fine's potential influence.
• Host's Commentary: The host criticizes Fine's approach, likening his behavior to a "coward" hiding under a desk and highlighting his extreme positions against the LGBTQ+ community.

Notable Quote:

"He was hiding under his desk from the process server. Come out, come out, wherever you are, Randy." — Host [05:04]

DeSantis' Opposition and Intra-Party Tensions

Timestamp: [07:00] – [08:11]

Randy Fine's alignment with Trump has put him at odds with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, creating friction within the Republican Party. Fine's outspoken support for Trump and criticism of DeSantis has alienated many local Republicans, weakening his position even further.

Notable Quote:

"He calls DeSantis Ron Derno. And a lot of people, a lot of Republicans here like Ron DeSantis, so they don't take that kindly." — Josh Wheel [07:08]

The Impact of Fine's Policies on the Community

Timestamp: [08:11] – [09:20]

Fine's aggressive policies, particularly targeting the LGBTQ+ community and potential erasure of drag shows, have fueled his unpopularity. His rhetoric is seen as divisive and harmful, especially among younger and more progressive voters.

Notable Quote:

"If I have to erase all the gay people, I said something. I think we have the clip here. Play that clip. Salty." — Host [08:11]

Randy Fine's Statement:

"If it means erasing a community because you have to target children when damn right we ought to do it. I just don't think you have to inherently say because you're lesbian or gay that you want to target children." — Randy Fine [09:00]

Josh Wheel on Campaign Strategy and Voter Outreach

Timestamp: [10:06] – [12:28]

Josh Wheel elaborates on his campaign strategy, emphasizing the importance of proactive voter engagement and contrast with Fine's passive approach. He attributes Fine's previous electoral success to the absence of a strong Democratic presence rather than genuine support.

Notable Quote:

"It was a plus 30 Trump area because we had no real Democratic campaign here in the last three cycles... messaging isn't free. You got to be able to build a real campaign to get out and talk to people." — Josh Wheel [10:06]

Encouraging Voter Participation and Next Steps

Timestamp: [12:28] – [13:18]

Wheel urges voters to participate in early voting, which runs through April 29th, and provides information on how to support the campaign through volunteering, donations, and spreading the word. He highlights the ongoing efforts to scale up the campaign in response to increased Republican spending on advertising.

Notable Quote:

"Right now, it's just about getting out there, knocking on doors, driving out the vote... you can donate, you can sign up to volunteer, or you can learn more about me all at our website." — Josh Wheel [12:28]

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Timestamp: [13:18] – [13:30]

The host wraps up the interview by reiterating the significance of the special election and expressing optimism about Wheel's prospects against Fine. Listeners are encouraged to stay informed and participate in the electoral process.

Notable Quote:

"There you have it. Josh Wheel, running for Florida's 6th congressional district the special election April 1st. We'll be following it closely." — Host [13:18]

---

Key Takeaways

1. Candidate Contrast: Josh Wheel represents a proactive, well-funded campaign focused on community needs, while Randy Fine is portrayed as an ineffective and polarizing figure with minimal campaign efforts.
2. Voter Sentiment: Early voting data favors Wheel, reflecting dissatisfaction with Fine's policies and behavior.
3. Intra-Party Conflict: Fine's loyalty to Trump has alienated other Republicans, including prominent figures like Ron DeSantis, weakening his support base.
4. Policy Implications: Fine's extreme positions on issues like reproductive health and LGBTQ+ rights have galvanized opposition, positioning Wheel as a defender of essential public services and community rights.
5. Campaign Strategy: Effective voter outreach, fundraising, and messaging are crucial for flipping traditionally Republican districts, as demonstrated by Wheel's approach.

Final Notes

The Meiselas brothers provide a critical and engaging analysis of the Florida special election, highlighting the broader implications for democracy and political dynamics in the United States. By featuring Josh Wheel's campaign strategies and contrasting them with Randy Fine's shortcomings, the podcast offers listeners insightful perspectives on the ongoing political landscape.

Transcript

[Ad Sponsor]

This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. It's tax season and we're all a bit tired of numbers, but here's one you need to $16.5 billion. That's how much the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud last year. Now here's a good number. 100 million. That's how many data points Lifelock monitors every second. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed. Save up to 40% your first [e-mail] podcast terms apply.

[Host]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, Monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliate. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.

[Ad Voice]

Ready to level up? Jumbo Casino is your playbook to fun. It's free to play with no purchase necessary. Enjoy hundreds of casino style games like bingo, slots and Solitaire anytime, anywhere with fresh releases every week whether you're at home or on the go. Let Shumba Casino bring the excitement to you. Plus get free daily login bonuses and a free welcome bonus. Join now for your chance to redeem some serious prizes. Plate Shamba Casino today. No purchase necessary. VGW Group void were prohibited by law.

[Host]

18/Tnc supply could a Ruby red Congressional District in Florida Turn Blue? Momentum seems to be gathering for the Democratic candidate in this special election. His name is Josh Wheel. This from of all places Florida Voice Democrats putting up a fight in Florida Congressional District 6. Early voting data shows where Republican a very unpopular popular ultra maga doge extremist by the name of Randy Fine is facing Democrat Josh Wheel who is a public school teacher. A massive cash disparity we're seeing as well as people are really going to Josh Wheel side here. People are very nervous that this Randy Fine is going to dojify Florida 6 congressional district. We're seeing even people like Steve Bannon terrified. This is what Steve Bannon said on his podcast the War Room the other day. Let's play it. Was it Florida Six Waltz's district. Trump won that district by 30 points in November. I'm old enough to remember when he won in November by 30 points. We have a candidate that I don't think is winning. That's an issue. That issue he's talking about is again, Randy Fine is a state Senator in Florida. The seat being held by Waltz, who he was referring to is Mike Waltz, the National Security Advisor who you probably know best Right now for the individual doing the fist bump emoji, American flag emoji, flame emoji. When leaking our war secrets and war information. On a group text thread with others in the Department of Defense. Defense and within the Department of National Security. Now, let me show you over here just some videos of Randy Fine so you can see who he is. Randy Fine is someone at. At a here and why he's also so unpopular at a. There's a lot of reasons. At a hearing over women's reproductive health, he looked at the women and he said, if you dare even breathe, I'm gonna have you arrested. Here, play this clip.

[Randy Fine]

The sergeant staff has been pre authorized to remove people. There will not be warnings. You'll be removed. If I can hear you breathe from my seat, that will be the standard. So I would encourage people to keep that in mind. We're going to have a hearing. We're going to hear from these folks. It's going to go for as long as it goes, and then that we're. Then we are going to be done. And don't test me. I'm sure you won't like the outcome. All right, members, don't test me.

[Host]

I'm sure you won't like the outcome. I'm a big, tough guy who hides under my desk when process servers try to serve me with paperwork. This is a guy. He got like a public records act, like deposition. It's like, okay, you're a public official. You're going to get those from time to time. The dude was hiding under his desk from the process server. Here, watch this.

[Josh Wheel]

Is he really hiding behind the desk?

[Host]

Under the desk?

[Josh Wheel]

Wow.

[Host]

Come out, come out, wherever you are, Randy.

[Josh Wheel]

Fine.

[Host]

Let's bring in the Democratic candidate for that seat in this special election. Probably have heard about this guy. Josh Wheel. Josh Wheel. You're making news in Florida and across the nation right now in this race. What are you seeing on the ground, my man?

[Josh Wheel]

Yeah, people are excited. You know, we have a real race here. You know, we've known from the beginning that, you know, this is a district that has been neglected by the state and national party for a long time. And, you know, if we were able to handle our business, get our fundraising right, you know, build the right campaign, that we'd be able to get a real response from people. And, you know, then January 20th happened. Then, you know, we've got all of the executive orders, the fast and furious barrage against, you know, the infrastructure of our nation, public services that residents here rely on. It's a district that's 25%, age 65 plus. You know, they're not happy about massive cuts to the Social Security Administration. They're not happy about cuts to veterans benefits, you know, Medicaid, Medicare. They're feeling the impact immediately. And, you know, we've been here with them the whole way, making sure that they have someone who will fight for them to preserve those systems in Congress.

[Host]

You know, Randy Fine, this guy, I mean, he's a really loathed individual. Like, if I guess there's something that brings people together, it's like, other than Donald Trump and Elon Musk loving this guy. And Trump. Posted. Randy, Randy, Randy. We love you, Randy. Because, you know, he's a doge rubber stamp. He's get rid of the Social Security, Medicaid, screw over the older people in your district kind of guy, destroy people's lives the way Trump and Elon wants to do. But even desantis doesn't like this guy.

[Josh Wheel]

Like desantis, they hate each other.

[Host]

Desantis hates this guy. He goes, he's. Tell us about the hatred that's there.

[Josh Wheel]

Well, oh, yeah. So when DeSantis was running for president, Randy Fine was the first Republican to jump off and, you know, support Trump instead. And they've had this just furious relationship ever since we've seen it. He called, like, three special legislative sessions earlier this year, right? Leading up to the main legislative session that started earlier this month. A big part of it was just he wanted an excuse to not be in this district campaigning, which is great for us, but he spent most of the time they were fighting over which immigration, which horrible immigration bill that they wanted, the one that Trump recommended or the one that DeSantis was putting forward. And he's been the most outspoken critic of Ron DeSantis. He calls him Ron Derno. And a lot of people, a lot of Republicans here like Ron DeSantis, so they don't take that kindly. There's, there's two types of people here in District 6, people who don't like Randy Fine, and there's people who haven't heard of Randy Fine. So that's pretty much everyone.

[Host]

Randy Fine is one of these guys who is like, he just wants to party at Mar a Lago with the, the pink Birkin bags for 450,000. Like, this is a guy trying to, like, I don't know, live the high school years. He didn't have as like a, a member of. It's, it's a total weird maga mutation for this guy, Randy Fine. And he's A very dangerous guy. I mean, when he takes to the floor of the state legislature, the types of things that he talks about is like, he goes, we need to erase. He said what, the entire LGBTQ community, or words to that effect. He goes, because he connected the community to drag shows. And even if it means getting rid of drag shows, if I have to erase all the gay people, I said something. I think we have the clip here. Play that clip. Salty.

[Randy Fine]

And they're the ones that are saying this definition applies to them. Well, if it means erasing a community because you have to target children when damn right we ought to do it. I just don't think you have to inherently say because you're lesbian or gay that you want to target children. I find that statement to be offensive to them.

[Host]

I mean, dangerous, weird dude. But here's the thing, Josh. You know, we, we, we cover before some of these movements in Florida where there seems to be hope. And look, the early voting data is very good for you, leading in the first two days. If you factor in some independence, you know, there could be. I don't want to get people overconfident, so I'm not even going to go through necessarily what the data is reflecting other than people need to go out and learn about you. But how are you really feeling? There are some people who go, we always get our hopes up thinking about a red district flip. I'm sure you get asked this before. What do you say to those people who were like, yeah, but it's still Florida. It was a plus 30 Trump area. It's not possible. What do you say to them, Josh?

[Josh Wheel]

Yeah, I mean, look, it was a plus 30 Trump area because we had no real Democratic campaign here in the last three cycles. One of them, there was no Democratic nominee for the seat. And the other two, the congressional candidate was unable to raise more than $35,000 over the entire two year stret. So, you know, it's really, it's like more like an R + 14 when you look at the current voter registration data, which is a lot more winnable. You know, it's not that our message has been rejected in the past. It's that there was no one here getting the message out. You know, messaging isn't free. You got to be able to build a real campaign to get out and talk to people. And, you know, not only have we been able to do that, but in his arrogance, Randy Fine felt that he didn't have to. He spent months not campaigning. Last month, he was interviewed by a newspaper and they asked him, you know, what are the issues most important in the district? And he's like, I don't know. He goes, it doesn't matter. He goes, because I'm here to serve Donald Trump. I don't need to know what issues are important to the people there. You know, he took two months off, raised no money, which, I mean, honestly, we were surprised by. We knew we were going to have outraised him because we were handling our business and getting our work done. But he didn't even try raising money for a future war chest for 2026. I mean, he did absolutely nothing. No outreach, no messaging, no building of a campaign, just hiding out in Tallahassee from the voters. And now he's scared, now he's struggling. And we feel really good about it. I mean, look, there's a lot of Republican voters in this district, right? If they. There's definitely enough that if they overturn out, they can take this thing back from us in seven days. But right now, we feel really good about where we're at.

[Host]

Yeah. Randy Fine has a pattern in practice of hiding under his desk like a little Doji coward, hoping that his daddy, Elon and Donald Trump will bail him out. And they're trying, but I think the people in your district are seeing what Doge means to the services that literally keep them alive. I see back there it says April 1st is the day of the election. Early voting is taking place right now. Right. What else do people need to know? Where could they find out more? When's the voting period? What do you tell them?

[Josh Wheel]

Early voting goes through this Saturday, the 29th. You can learn more about the campaign at Josh Wheel us. Josh W E I L us. We have links to sign up. You know, we have volunteers from all over the country who've been doing phone banking for us, reaching out to voters. We have, if anyone's local or nearby, canvassing. Right. Right now, it's just about getting out there, knocking on doors, driving out the vote. And, you know, we're. All the money that we raise going forward is going to, you know, help increase what we're on TV because the Republicans poured like $3 million into the final eight days for television. So, you know, we're making sure that we're keeping pace on tv, that we're scaling up our campaign team as much as possible to make sure we drive out the vote. You can donate, you can sign up to volunteer, or you can learn more about me all at our website.

[Host]

There you have it. Josh Wheel, running for Florida's 6 congressional district the special election April 1st. We'll be following it closely. Thanks, Josh.

[Josh Wheel]

Appreciate you.

[Host]

Thank you everybody. Hit subscribe and let's get to 5 million subscribers. Can't get enough Midas? Check out the Midas plus substack for ad free articles, reports, podcasts, daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski and more. Sign up for free [e-mail].