Aaron Dimock, who unsuccessfully challenged former Rep. Matt Gaetz in this year's Republican primary for Florida's 1st Congressional District, is back after President-elect Trump's surprise nomination for attorney general withdrew. He is considering running for the seat.
“I am seriously considering it and have already received numerous calls from voters begging me to run,” Dimock told The Hill.
Mr. Dimock, a retired naval officer and leadership consultant, was backed in his bid to challenge Mr. Gaetz by a PAC that reportedly has ties to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Gaetz led the effort to oust McCarthy as Speaker of the House.
But Gaetz had enough support from hard-line conservatives in Congress to handily defeat Dimmock, 72.6% to 27.4%.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) announced Wednesday that Gaetz had resigned to begin the process of filling the seat to reduce complications for the razor-thin majority.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Republican) said in X He announced Thursday that he has directed the secretary of state to begin the special election scheduling process “immediately.”
But Gaetz's resignation also brought into focus a years-long investigation by the House Ethics Committee. The Ethics Commission does not have the authority to investigate former members, but lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for it to release its findings on Gates.
The committee was investigating whether Gates had engaged in charges including sexual misconduct and illegal drug use. The Congressional investigation into Gates began in 2021, shortly after reports emerged that the Department of Justice (DOJ) was investigating whether Gates had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
Gaetz has strongly denied allegations of wrongdoing, and the Justice Department has declined to charge him with any crime. Gaetz said in September that he would “no longer voluntarily participate” in investigations.
Ethics investigations were also an issue in the August primary election.
The PAC has ties to McCarthy allies and spent more than $3 million on the campaign, including brutal ads highlighting allegations of wrongdoing against Gaetz.
“Your daughters will never be safe with the real Matt Gaetz.”the narrator saysOne ad from the Florida Patriots PAC addresses the allegations against him.
In an interview with The Hill in August, Dimock said Florida voters are “confused by the incumbent.” They can't understand the mess he's caused in the Republican Party these past few years. ”
Meanwhile, Gaetz attacked Dimock's work for the state of Missouri, calling him a “BLM-supported DEI instructor.”
