Special Election Is Critical for President Trump

Everyone is awaiting the results of two special elections in Florida to replace former Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-1) and Rep. Mike Waltz (FL-6). We know that the GOP is already worried about its House majority because President Trump rescinded Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (NY-21) nomination as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. So today’s elections could shape the landscape of the House moving forward.

The current GOP majority is 218-213. However, four seats are vacant, including the two seats from the special elections today in Florida. The other two are vacant because two Members of Congress passed away last month. If the far Left can maintain the two seats vacated because of death and also pick up two seats today in Florida, then the GOP would have a one-seat majority.

Seeing how difficult it is to get conservative Representatives to coalesce on certain issues, it’s no surprise that the GOP is worried about the possible razor-thin margin. It would greatly hinder the White House from being able to pass legislation.

Another vital state election is taking place in Wisconsin, where residents are voting on a new state supreme court justice. The election is significant in that a new justice could shift the balance of power on the state supreme court, which will impact state legislation regarding abortion, election rules, and congressional redistricting (which could affect midterms down the road). Right now, the far Left has a 4-3 lead on the state supreme court.

Many national pundits are declaring the election a bellwether to see how the country feels about President Trump’s agenda thus far. The election has even motivated individuals like Elon Musk and Senator Bernie Sanders (VT) to campaign for the judicial nominees. Notably, Musk has been handing out $1 million checks to Wisconsin residents.

We will keep an eye on what happens today in Florida and Wisconsin. The results could tell us a lot about President Trump’s agenda going forward.

I have a huge ACLJ victory for religious liberty to celebrate with you. We told you about how Los Angeles County banned a church from meeting on a public beach, which had been its meeting place for 18 years.

Last month, the ACLJ sent a demand letter to Los Angeles County on behalf of Church on the Beach, outlining how the policy violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and demanding that it cease its discriminatory practices immediately.

As the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently ruled – including in ACLJ-argued cases like Lamb’s Chapel v. Center Moriches School District – the government cannot exclude religious viewpoints from public forums. When a government entity opens a space for public use, it cannot then discriminate against religious groups or religious speech in that space.

In a response letter just 24 days after the ACLJ intervened, Los Angeles County caved. This means that our client can continue its ministry without facing arbitrary caps on its gatherings that secular groups don’t face. This means believers can worship freely on public beaches without government interference.

Jason Flentye, a co-pastor of Church on the Beach, described how the ACLJ helped his church:

God bless the ACLJ and all the people who support it. We’ve been doing this for 18 years, and then apparently, there was a new policy change that went into effect in 2024 that we weren’t aware of because we filed for our permit at the end of 2023. . . . I was informed that there’s a new policy in place, and we would only be allowed to meet there two times. . . . We did not know what we were going to do. A couple of people in our church are supporters of the ACLJ and follow the radio programs and podcasts. I wasn’t personally familiar with the ACLJ at that time, and they said, You’ve got to write in and contact. So we did, and we heard back from Nathan right away. And Nathan and Ben started working us through what the process would be like. . . . We were able to send a legal demand letter in, and within a matter of weeks, this was taken care of.

We are honored to help churches nationwide that are experiencing religious discrimination. We help our clients free of charge because of the generosity of our donors.

To help fund our legal fights to preserve religious liberty, donate to our Life & Liberty Drive. Donations are doubled at this time. Also, be sure to sign our petition to Stop the Left’s War Against Christians.

Today’s Sekulow broadcast included a full analysis of the importance of today’s special elections in Florida and Wisconsin. ACLJ Senior Advisor for National Security and Foreign Policy Ric Grenell discussed a 60 Minutes anchor showing sympathy for Hamas while interviewing a freed Israeli hostage.

Watch the full broadcast below: