Boyles Wins Special Florida Legislature Election

In Brief:

🗳️ Nathan Boyles wins Florida House District 3 special election with 67% of the total vote, defeating Democrat Dondre Wise.
📊 Wise posts record performance for a non-Republican in the district, improving Democratic vote share by nearly 12 points since November 2024.
🔁 Both candidates vow to stay engaged, with Wise already announcing plans to run again in 2026.

(Editors Note: This article has been updated to reflect more accurate voting results and correct an error towards the bottom of the page.)

CRESTVIEW — Republican Nathan Boyles won the special election for Florida’s House District 3 seat on June 10, defeating Democrat Dondre Wise in a race that highlighted different visions for the future of the Panhandle.

Boyles, a former Okaloosa County Commissioner and business owner, secured a victory, earning 8,175 votes across Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, compared to 4,013 votes for Wise, a local activist and political newcomer.

Breaking down the results by county, we start in Santa Rosa, which encompasses most of the district. With 10,194 votes cast, Boyles claimed 6,756 votes, or 66.27%.

Wise took home 3,438 votes, or 33.73%.

In Okaloosa County, which was limited to the northern part of the county, Boyles took home a more resounding win.

According to the unofficial results, Boyles received 1,419 votes, or 71.16%. In contrast, Wise claimed 575 votes or 28.84% of the 1,994 votes cast.

In a statement to Mid Bay News, Boyles thanked his supporters and began looking ahead to the future.

“I am humbled by the support of the voters and looking forward to learning from my new colleagues, as I work to be the best representative that I can be for the constituents of District Three,” Boyles said.

Wise, who ran on a platform of generational change and grassroots accountability, noted that the outcome was not what he had hoped for, but he pledged to remain politically active.

“Though we didn’t win this time, this is not the end. It’s a chapter in a much longer story, one that I am more committed than ever to continue writing,” said Wise.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m taking the lessons from this campaign and carrying them forward. I’ll continue serving, listening and working alongside you, and I’ll be back on the ballot in 2026, ready to finish what we started,” Wise added.

While it may seem doom and gloom for the Democrats in Northwest Florida, the results tell a different story.

According to Ballotpedia, Wise’s showing marks the strongest performance by a non-Republican candidate in the district’s history.

In the 2024 general election, Democrat Keith Gillum secured just 21.6% of the vote against former State Rep. Dr. Joel Rudman. By contrast, Wise’s unofficial vote share stands at 33.37%—an 11.77-point increase in just seven months.

The trend mirrors gains seen in neighboring races.

In Florida’s First Congressional District, Democratic candidate Gay Valimont improved her performance by 8.3 points between the November 2024 general election and the April 2025 special election against Rep. Jimmy Patronis.