When President-elect Donald Trump chose GOP Congressman Michael Waltz as his National Security Adviser, Republicans had a choice when looking for a replacement.

They could promote any number of reputable conservatives to run for this heavily Republican-leaning seat on Florida’s east coast, including former legislative leaders, thoughtful local officials or even a respected former member of Congress.

Or they could go for divisive buffoonery.

They went with option B, otherwise known as Randy Fine.

There are other candidates running, including a couple of Republicans who seem to have serious and sober platforms. But Trump endorsed Fine, so the Brevard County Republican is the clear favorite — even though he has generated more cringe-inducing headlines than a mid-2000s mashup of Paris Hilton and Charlie Sheen.

Fine once called a female school board member a “whore.”

He threatened to defund Special Olympics for not inviting him to a party at a local Chick-fil-A.

He staged a press conference accusing Brevard County school officials of abusing a special-needs child — only for investigators to say the story had been manufactured with the help of staged photographs.

In one of his earlier absurdities, Fine proposed shutting down the University of Central Floridafor five to 10 years after the school spent money in a way that ticked him off.

There is no moderation, shame or repentance with Randy Fine. And if anyone calls him on his nonsense, Fine often resorts to accusing them of of being antisemitic or at least soft on Nazis, as he once did even with Gov. Ron DeSantis.

I could go on and list more of the ugly and embarrassing episodes featuring Fine. But I only have about 700 words.

OK, one more. Two years ago, in a ham-fisted attempt to go after drag queens, Fine suggested changing state law in a way that would ban parents from taking their kids to see drag performances — but still allow parents to take their kids to movies that feature “bestiality” and “sadomasochistic abuse.” Those are some interesting family values.

The point is: Republicans had a choice here in District 6, which includes parts of Flagler, Volusia, Lake and three other counties. They could’ve recruited and rallied behind reputable conservatives, including former House Speaker Paul Renner or other legislators. Heck, they could’ve even dusted off John Mica, who used to represent part of this district, and asked him to bring back his old-school conservative values to the seat.

Instead, after Trump endorsed the bombastic Fine, Florida Republicans basically paved the way for him … making their values clear.

There’s still a chance GOP voters could support a Republican who doesn’t revel in division and absurdity. Two lesser-known Republicans who believe the party deserves better — Aaron Baker and Ehsan Hoarder — are running against him in the Jan. 28 primary.

Randy Fine, ‘Rock Doctor’ and Kissimmee math teacher all running for Congress in special elections

There are also six other candidates running — a mix of Democrats, unaffiliated and Libertarian contenders. But the math strongly suggests that this heavily Republican district that Waltz won by more than 30 percentage points a few weeks ago will remain in GOP hands.

So the only real question is: What kind of hands?

I’m guessing Fine’s. In recent years, Florida voters have opted for division and chaos. Old-school conservatives who used to be mainstays in Florida’s congressional delegation — guys like John Mica and Bill McCollum — wouldn’t stand a chance against today’s culture warriors.

Instead of opting for officeholders focused on things like the national debt, voters have cheered on guys like Fine who spend time on social media fuming about preferred pronouns. Fine’s nuanced take on that issue: “I was just asked my pronouns. For future reference, they are: You / Are / A / Fu&$ng / Moron.”

Quite the role model.

I still believe Florida is full of sensible conservatives who care more about taxes and education than drag queens and invites to Chick-fil-A. But my belief is frequently undermined by the advancement and promotion of guys like Fine.

Party leaders here had the chance to make a statement when replacing Waltz, who advanced to the rank of colonel in the Army special forces.

They could’ve said: We want a serious and thoughtful leader with a track record of bringing constituents together and focusing on important issues. Instead, they chose Randy Fine.

Now it will be up to voters to decide which kind of leader they want.

smaxwell@orlandosentinel.com

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