Congress has seen loads of firebrands and confrontational lawmakers — particularly from Florida. However Washington nonetheless could be in for a shock relating to Randy Fine.
Over his 9 years within the Florida Legislature, he gained a fame for his bare-knuckle type of politics and spats with native officers. Now the previous playing govt can be going nationwide with final week’s particular election win in a deep-red district on Florida’s northeast coast.
Three years in the past, Nice referred to as a school-board member a “whore” in a text. Throughout Covid, he acquired sanctioned by Fb after he wrote a submit alerting constituents to a school-board assembly on masking that included the school-board member’s phone number. A choose despatched Nice to anger administration after photos surfaced that appeared to indicate him giving the center finger throughout a digital listening to. (He insisted he was scratching his forehead.)
He lately turned irritated with a pro-Palestinian activist who was testifying at a listening to and dismissed the person with, “Take pleasure in your terrorist rag.” When individuals started to protest, he threatened to empty the room.
“I’m the chairman, I can say what I would like,” he mentioned. “In case you don’t prefer it, you’ll be able to go away.”
And most eye-popping of all, he’s been a frequent foil of Gov. Ron DeSantis ever since he swapped his 2024 presidential endorsement from the governor to Donald Trump, even topping it with a scathing Washington Times op-ed that accused the governor of not doing sufficient to combat antisemitism in Florida within the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Although it’s been greater than a yr since that fallout, DeSantis has made it clear all is just not forgiven. “He repels individuals,” DeSantis mentioned about Nice in the midst of a 10-minute rant after the election. He then dumped on Nice as somebody who had underperformed within the race and argued he was solely in a position to pull off a 14-point victory after the president helped “bail him out in the long run.”
Nice’s response: To needle DeSantis over how he has lower than two years left in workplace, with no clear path for the place his political profession is headed subsequent. “A dying star burns hottest earlier than it fades into oblivion,” Nice wrote on X earlier than taking that very same message into his first nationwide interview with FOX Enterprise Community’s “Mornings with Maria.”
Nice has some enemies. However to his allies, his private type makes him a great lawmaker. “The man is destined for stardom,” mentioned Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters, one other GOP DeSantis antagonist who was Nice’s roommate once they served within the Legislature and is his closest good friend. He praised Nice’s “capacity to throw the toughest proper hook within the enterprise.”
“Any person punches him, he throws the most important haymaker that is round at his opponents,” Gruters mentioned, “and that goes for Republicans and Democrats.”
The ordeal between DeSantis and Nice has been a dramatic U-turn. Nice was as soon as DeSantis’ Jewish outreach chair. He even launched or co-sponsored lots of the insurance policies DeSantis turned recognized for nationally, together with measures to limit race-related trainings in lecture rooms and to punish companies that permit minors into “grownup stay performances” — seen by many as focusing on drag exhibits. He was additionally a key participant within the legislation to give parents more say about what happens in schools, the invoice critics like Walt Disney World dubbed the “Don’t Say Homosexual” legislation.
And when Disney protested, Nice launched laws that aimed to dissolve the theme park’s particular tax district. He rejoiced after the feud ended, saying he couldn’t wait to as soon as once more take pleasure in Disney’s cruises and parks together with his household.
Chris Sprowls, the previous speaker of the Florida Home, mentioned he typically turned to Nice to ask him to do “actually tough issues,” partially as a result of he thought he was sensible and will articulate the coverage in methods individuals might simply perceive, but additionally as a result of he might rise up and debate towards anybody.
“He is the man who needs the ball,” Sprowls mentioned. “Each coach needs the man who needs the ball, and Randy needs the ball for individuals on a regular basis.”
Gruters agreed. “If you’d like a invoice to go within the Legislature, the primary man I all the time suggest is Randy Nice, as a result of he’ll beat the crap out of his colleagues to attempt to guarantee that that invoice passes,” he mentioned. “There’s no person with the character and the willingness to get within the mud and make issues occur like Randy Nice.”
Nicknamed the “Hebrew Hammer” by Gruters — a title he embraces — Nice was the one Jewish Republican for many of his time in state authorities.
He has mentioned a key cause he’s in politics is to assist pro-Israel causes. However he has additionally lashed out towards Muslims, referring to Josh Weil, his Democratic opponent within the particular election who’s a convert to Islam, as “Jihad Josh.”
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has referred to as for Nice to be censured, together with for feedback he made on social media saying, “Gaza have to be destroyed.” Nice additionally posted on X that Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota “would possibly think about leaving earlier than I get there. #BombsAway.”
However the Republican Jewish Coalition endorsed Nice early in his marketing campaign, and his allies defend him as somebody obsessed with pro-Israel causes and combating antisemitism.
“He’s unapologetic about combating for Israel,” mentioned Sprowls, who joined Trump and Nice on a commerce mission to Israel. He pointed to Hamas’ acts of terrorism and mentioned of Nice: “He is not going to equivocate on these points. He will be robust, and I believe that’s actually necessary to have members like Randy who can combat for the ethical crucial that’s defending Israel and their proper to stay and thrive within the Center East.”
Trump endorsed Nice over Fact Social earlier than he acquired into the race and later referred to as him a “tremendous Voice for MAGA.” The race ended up tighter than anticipated within the closing weeks, with Nice’s opponent polling near him and estimating he raised $14 million.
Nice was considered a shoo-in for the seat beforehand held by Trump’s nationwide safety adviser, Mike Waltz, who has been in scorching water lately over unintentionally including The Atlantic’s editor in chief to a messaging group with different prime officers. (In an ironic twist, the seat can be the one DeSantis held when he was in Congress.)
Nice mentioned in an interview that he had been eager about going to Congress “once I was a child.” However when he labored for a congressman one summer season, the consultant informed him, “Do not do that job till you know the way you may pay your mortgage. Don’t be like me.” So Nice turned a playing govt whose thousands and thousands allowed him to principally retire by age 40. (His state monetary disclosure counts his internet price at simply over $30 million.)
He didn’t suppose politics was in his future at that time, however then, he mentioned, “I acquired mad about my child’s faculty.” His son was in first grade and he informed the varsity he didn’t like how they have been educating widespread core math.
“I acquired informed I wasn’t certified to have an opinion about it, as a result of I haven’t got a level in educational administration. And look, my levels from Harvard aren’t price that a lot, however I ought to have the ability to deal with first-grade math,” he mentioned, referring to his undergraduate and enterprise graduate levels from the storied Ivy League faculty. “We acquired upset, and so I made a decision I might go and repair it. And I did: We acquired out of widespread core math then I helped go a legislation that mentioned you’ll be able to’t inform a father or mother they don’t seem to be certified to have an opinion about their youngsters’ schooling.”
In January, the Legislature had its first huge standoff with DeSantis over unlawful immigration, after years of complying to his calls for. After a state Senate ground session, many Republicans within the Legislature scattered to keep away from speaking to any reporters concerning the rigidity with the governor. However Nice got here out of the chamber prepared to debate what had simply gone down and why the Legislature disagreed with the governor’s proposals.
Wanting towards the group of journalists, a senior Democratic aide who has described Nice as a “mean-spirited asshole” leaned over to a reporter and whispered, “I disagree with him on virtually each challenge, however he is superb at what he does.”
Most Democrats in Florida agree with DeSantis on Nice, with state Democratic Celebration Chair Nikki Fried calling him an “asshole” in addition to a “unhealthy politician and a foul particular person.”
“For the primary time in virtually six years,” she mentioned, “I agree with Ron DeSantis.”
Jennifer Jenkins, the previous school-board member Nice insulted, referred to as him a “piece of shit” and a “bully.” The 2 have fought over masks mandates and LGBTQ+ insurance policies in colleges. Nice additionally raged at a metropolis councilmember in a textual content over the truth that county police had invited Jenkins and never him to an occasion, saying it could jeopardize funding for the Particular Olympics and the county, texts obtained by Florida Today showed.
“Randy Nice’s conduct speaks for itself,” Jenkins mentioned. “He’s divisive, disrespectful, and fully untrustworthy. He’s not a pacesetter, he’s a cautionary story that Florida is about to serve as much as the remainder of the nation on what occurs if you let a clown maintain workplace.”
When requested about what his type in Congress could be, Nice mentioned it took him a few years to interrupt out within the Legislature. In Congress, he mentioned, it’ll be comparable as a result of he’ll be so new and can nonetheless must be taught the method and be taught from others.
Pressed about it, he mentioned: “I do suppose that my type will work properly in Washington. I imply, I am an aggressive man.”
