Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
There’s always a Florida angle.
The big news of the past 24 hours is U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz’s ouster of now-former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. It was the first time that Congress voted to boot a House Speaker from the position.
But even though Gaetz’s unprecedented move was successful, he’s not getting pats on the back from the rest of Congress.
Quite the opposite, really. Even among the Florida Republicans he serves alongside, none of whom voted to strip McCarthy of his gavel.
His relationship with the man in the Governor’s Mansion was already standoffish. It hasn’t improved, despite Gov. Ron DeSantis admitting he was against McCarthy “before it was cool.”
The Governor has since joined congressional Republicans in chastising Gaetz for fundraising off the turmoil.
“I think when you’re doing things, you need to be doing it because it’s the right thing to do. It shouldn’t be done with an eye toward trying to generate lists or trying to generate fundraising,” he said.
And then there’s the elephant in the room: Gaetz has long been under investigation for what could euphemistically be called moral turpitude.
The congressional investigation has been cited as an impetus for Gaetz’s “motion to vacate,” and it’s unclear whether it will continue under whoever ends up replacing McCarthy, which itself is still an open question.
Some names are being tossed around: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma. The dark horses: U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and U.S. Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma.
And then there’s the long shot floated by U.S. Rep. Greg Steube: former President Donald Trump.
Evening Reads
—”Give Matt Gaetz the silent treatment” via Karl Rove for The Wall Street Journal
—”Gaetz, a polarizing figure in Congress, is polarizing at home, too” via Kalyn Wolfe, Patricia Mazzei and Colbi Edmonds of The New York Times
—“‘He’s about clicks’: Florida Republicans furious at Gaetz” via Kimberly Leonard and Mia McCarthy of POLITICO
—”Risks of Ron DeSantis’ Iowa-first strategy mount as he returns to South Carolina for first time in nearly 3 months” via Steve Contorno and Kit Maher of CNN
—”DeSantis gets a $15 million cash infusion and moves staff to Iowa” via Nicholas Nehamas, Jonathan Swan and Shane Goldmacher of The New York Times
—“DeSantis still insists he won’t be Donald Trump’s No. 2, which likely couldn’t work” via Jeffrey Schweers of the Orlando Sentinel
—“DeSantis pins Kevin McCarthy’s fall from grace on Trump, saying the Congressman was a bad choice for Speaker to begin with” via Madison Hall of Business Insider
—“McCarthy got what he deserved” via Peter Wehner of The Atlantic
—“McCarthy is out. Who might replace him as Speaker?” via Nicole Narea of Vox
Quote of the Day
“Gaetz maybe has a couple of friends in the delegation. But I’m not one of them.”
— U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez, on fellow Florida delegation member Matt Gaetz.
Put It on the Tab
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
Poll after poll shows Gov. Ron DeSantis slipping from Trump’s heir apparent to No. 3 in the GOP primary, so grab him one of these three-ingredient cocktails.
Jimmy Patronis will take a Millionaire for reuniting Floridians with $40 million in unclaimed property last month — and north of $2 billion since he took office in 2017.
Order up a Rejected Proposal for Henry Mack III, who’s sticking with The Southern Group over a new job as Broward College Acting President.
Crystal River employees would love a round of High Tides while they wait for City Hall to get elevated.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
8:08 p.m. — Miami Marlins @ Philadelphia Phillies
8:30 p.m. — Nashville SC @ Orlando City SC
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
