Florida Representative Mike Waltz, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for national security adviser, has formally submitted his resignation letter, Florida's secretary of state said Monday.
"We are just now in receipt of Congressman Mike Walz's resignation letter, therefore the special election for CD 6 will proceed according to the following timeline," Secretary of State Cord Byrd said Monday.
Byrd said in a news release that the special election for Waltz's seat will be "conducted as quickly as statutorily possible."
"We are committed to ensuring this election is held as soon as we are allowed to hold it by state law," he said.
Politico reported that Waltz will officially resign his seat on January 20, when Trump is sworn into office.
The special primary election for Waltz's seat will be held on Tuesday, January 28, and the special general election will be on Tuesday, April 1, according to a news release.
Waltz's resignation was widely anticipated—Trump tapped him for national security adviser shortly after winning the 2024 election, writing in a Truth Social post that "Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy Agenda and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!"
The president-elect also lauded Waltz, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, as a "nationally recognized leader in National Security, a bestselling author, and an expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism."
Waltz said Sunday that the Trump transition team is working "hand in glove" with the Biden administration on national security.
"Jake Sullivan and I have had discussions. We've met," Waltz told Fox News Sunday, referring to Biden's national security adviser.
"For our adversaries out there that think this is a time of opportunity that they can play one administration off the other, they're wrong," Waltz added. "We are hand in glove. We are one team with the United States in this transition."
Waltz's appearance on Fox News was his first television appearance since being tapped for national security adviser,
During the interview, Waltz said Trump was "very concerned" about the Russia-Ukraine war, adding, "If North Korea has made this move, we have made a move. Russia has now responded. Iran is involved. South Korea's thinking about getting involved. Our allies have now extended the range of their missiles as well."
"We need to bring this to a responsible end," Waltz said. "We need to restore deterrence and peace and get ahead of this escalation later rather than responding to it."
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