Trump-endorsed Republican candidate Randy Fine called the Democratic campaign of Josh Weil “a $10 million scam,” claiming his opponent is paying himself hundreds of thousands of dollars in “candidate salary,” rent, and “extravagant entertainment.”
The upcoming special election will replace former Republican Congressman Michael Waltz, who resigned to serve as President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor.
Josh Weil, Democrat in Florida’s 6th congressional special election, recently announced that his campaign raised over $10 million for the cycle.
“Josh Weil likes to brag that he has raised $10 million, but he doesn’t want anyone to look at where he has spent it,” Republican Randy Fine said. “He is begging working-class Americans struggling to make ends meet to give him $5 and $10 contributions, which he then takes to pay himself a candidate salary, for a lavish Airbnb, and to get celebrities to hang out with him. It’s repulsive. Josh Weil is the very definition of a ‘champagne socialist’ and represents everything that is wrong with today’s Democratic Party, out of touch if not downright insulting to regular Americans.”
“He has used his campaign to peddle a dangerous ideology of open borders, massive tax hikes, and resistance to President Trump — all while enriching himself and lining the pockets of his campaign consultants at the expense of his donors,” the Florida Republican continued against his Democratic opponent. “Weil is a violent fraud who is willing to say anything, do anything, and hire anyone to get to Congress. Every media outlet that has fallen prey to his grandiose claims of how much money he has raised owes it to their audience to expose how he has actually used the money.”
According to Randy Fine, “Weil’s campaign finance reports expose a self-proclaimed socialist living large on donor dollars” including these points the Republican listed in a press release:
- Luxury Accommodations: An astonishing $51,363 for a single Airbnb rental on March 6, 2025, with additional Airbnb rentals totaling over $11,500 – bringing the total Airbnb spending to over $62,000.
- Extravagant Entertainment: A massive $352,000 expenditure for “voter engagement event musicians/talent” through Vote Influencers LLC.
- Enriching His Consultants:Massive payments to consulting firms, including $1.9 million to Trailblazing Canvassers, Inc., and $2.6 million to Key Lime Strategies & Media.
- Enriching Himself: Weil paid himself at least $9,458 in “candidate salary” through multiple payments, including a single payment of $4,600.
- Questionable Payments:Records show multiple questionable round-number payments to individuals with minimal documentation, raising serious compliance concerns.
- Weil has used ActBlue campaign contributions, a Soros-linked platform currently under fire for potential fraud, to spread outright lies about Randy Fine, falsely labeling him as “un-American” and “violent” — when Weil himself has a public record of violence and harassment.
“While Josh Weil funds his lavish lifestyle off his campaign donors, I remain committed to fighting for each and every vote to ensure we protect this seat and President Trump’s America First agenda at all costs,” Republican Randy Fine added. “Voters deserve to know the horrifying truth about this socialist hypocrite who preaches equality while hiding his record of wasteful spending, violently attacking children, and sexually harassing women.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s special congressional election in Florida, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin is joining FDP Chair Nikki Fried on the ground in Congressional District 6 as Democrats try to pull off a surprise victory against President Donald Trump and Republicans.
Well, campaign finance reports are public, Randy Fine’s at https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H6FL06258/ and Josh Weil’s at https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H6FL06266/
I’m an economics analyst, so here are the actual facts:
Randy Fine spends more on consulting than Josh Weil. Fine’s reports show totals of:
$74,477.71 for “Digital Consulting,”
$41,000.00 for “Strategy Consulting,” and
$10,000 for “Fundraising Consulting.”
Weil’s reports show totals of:
$41,000.00 for “Communications Consulting,”
$36,987.69 for “Fundraising Consulting” and
$10,000.00 for “Campaign Messaging Consulting.”
The money Weil spent on Trailblazing Canvassers, Inc. is actually all for “Canvassing Services,” (aka, campaigning), and the money to Key Lime Strategies & Media is almost all for actual “Digital Fundraising”, which perhaps Fine should have invested more in.
Weil DID indeed pay himself exactly $9,485 in “candidate salary” between all reporting periods. No payments were in 2024, and four payments between Jan 1. 2025 and March 12, 2025, that amounts to a candidate salary of almost $950 per week, or the equivalent of a whopping $49,400 per year. Can we infer Fine believes congressional candidates should be restricted to earn well less than $50,000 year from their political endeavors? Perhaps he will commit to sponsoring, if elected, legislation to that effect which applies to both major political parties?
The $51,363 on March 6, 2025 to AirBnB does not state that it was for a single rental or for a single day, only that on March 6, 2025 AirBnB was paid a total of that amount in the expense category of “Lodging/ Hotel,” which could have covered any number of past or future booked lodgings.
Weil does indeed use ActBlue as a fundraising interface, as do probably 98-100% of Democratic federal candidates. Fine uses the functionally identical WinRed as a fundraising interface, as do probably 98-100% of Republican federal candidates. WinRed (launched 2020) was designed as a response to ActBlue (launched 2004) to copy its success. ActBlue is indeed “under fire for potential fraud,” but only insofar as Republican members of Congress have been “investigating” ActBlue since 2023. No cases of actual fraud have been found, no indictments or charges have been made, and no law-enforcement agencies of any jurisdiction have alleged any crimes, suspects, or probable cause. The investigation has been called a “partisan political attack and scare tactic.”
Added relevant fact:
54.4% of Fine’s $892,072.65 spending went to recipients in Florida.
64.5% of Weil’s $8,142,542.60 spending went to recipients in Florida.
So, there’s that for Floridians to think about.