Representative Matt Gaetz successfully defeated his primary opponent Aaron Dimmock in Florida on Tuesday, following his previous effort to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. With around 72% of the votes tallied, Gaetz secured 71% of the vote compared to Dimmock’s 28%.
In an interview, Gaetz commented on McCarthy’s ousting, suggesting that McCarthy’s motivations stemmed from “revenge and pettiness.” He remarked, “I’m on my way to the 119th Congress, and he’s on his way to whatever the next stage of grief is.”
Dimmock expressed disappointment over the election results in a social media post, acknowledging the challenges he faced as a first-time candidate against an established politician.
Gaetz played a key role last year in McCarthy’s historic ousting as House Speaker after initiating a motion to vacate, which led to a vote that saw only eight Republicans supporting Gaetz’s move alongside the Democrats. The move stemmed from dissatisfaction with McCarthy’s management of government shutdown issues, leading to his eventual resignation from Congress.
Now, Gaetz aims to retain his seat in Florida’s 1st Congressional District amidst ongoing tensions related to McCarthy. He remarked on the failure of McCarthy’s political action committees, which spent over $3 million against him, citing it as a limitation of Washington’s big money influence.
While previous allies of Gaetz, such as Rep. Bob Good, faced challenges after aligning with him against McCarthy, Gaetz stood out as one of the last candidates connected to the former speaker’s controversies. McCarthy’s related pacs have targeted Gaetz with advertisements that included serious allegations of misconduct, although the Justice Department cleared Gaetz of any charges last year.
Despite ongoing investigations by the House Ethics Committee into some of the allegations against him, Gaetz continues to deny any wrongdoing and has accused McCarthy of attempting to tarnish his reputation.
Their rivalry has persisted, highlighted by Gaetz’s heckling of McCarthy during a recent live interview at the Republican National Convention. Even as Gaetz approached the primaries with a strong expectation of winning, concerns linger regarding the long-term implications of his political battles, particularly as he is rumored to be eyeing a potential gubernatorial run in 2026. However, Gaetz assured that he currently has no plans for such a bid and intends to support former President Donald Trump in Congress.