A freshman congressman’s profile became the subject of scorn after the Republican was called out over a banner image not only from the wrong city, but an entirely different state.
In staffing his administration, President Donald Trump had tapped a number of members of Congress, triggering appointments and special elections to fill vacancies. For the people of Florida’s 6th Congressional District, the special election of Rep. Randy Fine (R) had brought with it a facepalm moment this week when a journalist zeroed in on the congressman’s header that featured the skyline of Dayton, Ohio.
Sharing a screenshot of Fine’s X account juxtaposed with a stock photo detailing the image as the Ohio city’s downtown area featuring the Great Miami River, Florida Politics senior editor Phil Ammann had posted Thursday, “Not the most critical issue out there, I admit. But why does @RepFine have an image of Dayton, Ohio, as his profile header? At least one good photo of Florida’s 6th Congressional District exists, no?”
Though no statement had been issued, the scrutiny had prompted a response from those responsible for the lawmaker’s social media account, as Friday morning, Ammann had a follow-up.
“Who says journalism is dead? @RepFine has a new profile header … Don’t know if it’s CD 6, or even Florida, but it must be closer than #Ohio,” he wrote as he shared the replacement image of an aerial view of waves crashing along a coast.
Who says journalism is dead?@RepFine has a new profile header …
Don’t know if it’s CD 6, or even Florida, but it must be closer than #Ohio#FlaPol https://t.co/uDDrTesojw pic.twitter.com/0ea4wGvotA
— Phil Ammann (@PhilAmmann) May 23, 2025
Embarrassing enough as it was, the errant image fueled detractors of Fine as his residence outside the district had been a cause for concern leading up to the April special election to replace former Rep. Michael Waltz (R). The same was true of opponent Josh Weil (D) as Florida state law only requires candidates reside in the Sunshine State to run for office.
As the president’s appointments had threatened to upset the balance in the House of Representatives where the GOP majority was narrow, concerns had also arisen about the enthusiasm gap that had been proven by the results of the election.
Compared to the presidential election in Nov. 2024 with Trump at the top of the ballot where Waltz had won his re-election with a roughly 33 point spread thanks to more than 280,000 voters turning out, Fine’s special election had only inspired about 111,000 voters to show their support for the candidate. The result was a victory with about a 14 point advantage — even with President Donald Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Meanwhile, Waltz had vacated his role as United States National Security Advisor and had instead been nominated as the next U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations after Trump had pulled New York Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R) nomination amid concerns about how the special elections would turn out.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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