In one of the wildest Republican primaries ever, one former congressman convicted of insider trading and another forced to quit after a nude video scandal are pitted against a pardoned January 6 rioter.
Voters in southwest Florida—which includes parts of Naples, Cape Coral and Fort Myers— face the unenviable task of picking the winner to replace Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor.
On the ballot today is former model John Strand, who was convicted for his role in the Jan 6 insurgency before being pardoned by Donald Trump.
Also pardoned was former New York Congressman Chris Collins, who served time in prison for insider trading before being sprung by Trump in 2020.
And best known of the 10 candidates in the race is Madison Cawthorn, who was forced out of his North Carolina House seat after a series of scandals, including taking a handgun to an airport, sexual misconduct allegations and appearing in a nude video.
There is no run-off in Florida, so the prize for the winner is an almost certain victory in the deep red state in November.
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