Florida's 1st congressional district

Florida's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida, covering the state's western Panhandle. It includes all of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa counties, and portions of Walton county. The district is anchored in Pensacola and also includes the large military bedroom communities and tourist destinations of Navarre and Fort Walton Beach and stretches along the Emerald Coast. The district was previously represented by Republican Matt Gaetz. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+18, it is the most Republican district in Florida.

Due to the election to replace Matt Gaetz, who had resigned in 2024, the district held the 2025 special election between Jimmy Patronis (R) and Gay Valimont (D), Patronis was declared the winner shortly after polls closed. Although Valimont lost, she had flipped Escambia County, becoming the first Democrat to win the county since Earl Hutto in 1992. This was one of the two special elections on April 1, the other being in Florida's 6th congressional district.

The elections had national attention in 2025. According to a report by NBC News, the two Democratic candidates in these elections have raised a combined $15.7 million as of March 21, 2025, and 75% of donations were in the range of $200 or less. According FEC filings, Valimont raised 6.5 million dollars.