Florida leaders don’t see Matt Gaetz’s quarrels in Washington causing trouble back home

Washington Republicans appear to hold little love for U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz. But in his home district, support for the Fort Walton Beach Republican remains easy to find.

Gaetz, already a controversial figure, drew heavy fire from members of his own party after leading the first successful ouster of a House Speaker in U.S. history. The Congressman has feuded for months with now-former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and was the only Republican in Florida’s congressional delegation who refused in January to vote for the California Republican to become Speaker even on a 15th ballot.

Even fellow members of the state’s delegation called out Gaetz by name for bringing a motion to vacate McCarthy’s leadership position and siding with Democrats in a near party-line vote to do so.

But in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, few offer harsh words for Gaetz.

“My Congressman, Matt Gaetz, was brilliant yesterday,” said Sharon Regan, Santa Rosa County Republican Party Chair. “Matt demonstrated the ability to think on his feet as he framed compelling responsive arguments to each point raised. Matt’s denunciation of profligate spending that has not been curtailed by leadership is uncontrovertibly warranted.

“I am proud to join the vast majority of people in this District who endorse Matt Gaetz’ resolute demand for single-subject bills. Speaker McCarthy made promises he did not keep, struck deals when he should have taken action, and was on notice that his seat would be lost if he failed to keep promises made when he received the gavel in January. What happened was just. I have faith that Matt and other grassroots Congressional leaders will choose the next Speaker wisely.”

Political observers see little vulnerability for Gaetz. He represents a district where nearly 66% of voters supported Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election. Gaetz during his last time on the ballot performed better than that. The Congressman won his fourth term in office in November, defeating Democrat Rebekah Jones by 36 percentage points.

That landslide came despite a sex scandal and federal investigation that thrust Gaetz into the national spotlight. While federal prosecutors already have dropped any potential criminal investigation of Gaetz, McCarthy allies in Congress have told multiple news outlets that the House could still vote to expel Gaetz as a member based on those accusations, depending on results of a House Ethics investigation.

Democrats, though, likely have little opportunity to flip the seat. But could a Republican opponent, especially one with support from McCarthy allies in Washington, challenge Gaetz successfully in a Republican Primary?

Political experts in the state consider that unlikely. In part, that’s because the Gaetz name for years produced results not only for the Congressman but his father, former Senate President Don Gaetz. The elder Gaetz just announced a campaign to return to the Florida Senate, which will run concurrently with Gaetz’s presumed re-election effort next year.

But political consultants suggest that whatever problems Gaetz may have will colleagues in Washington, that won’t matter when he stands for re-election back home.

“The Gaetz name is synonymous with the word ‘conservative’ in the Panhandle,” said political consultant Anthony Pedicini. “In polling I’ve seen, Matt Gaetz polls like Mike Fasano does in Pasco and like most Sheriffs do in their home counties. The Gaetz name would be a gold standard as far as I’m concerned in a Republican Primary.”

State Sen. Joe Gruters, a former Republican Party of Florida Chair, called Gaetz “unbeatable,” and with good reason.

“Matt Gaetz said he wanted to change Washington and he did just that,” Gruters said.

“I give him a ton of credit for sticking to his guns and not giving in to the McCarthy machine that robbed our region of a committee chairmanship only months ago. The American people, and Floridians especially, took notice of Matt’s leadership and he’s the kind of fighter we need should he choose to run for higher office in the future.”

Several Florida sources noted Gaetz will likely retain the support of Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination.

In fundraising emails, Gaetz said he expects pushback from colleagues beholden to special interests.

“We are putting the interests of Americans before the interests of the Uniparty,” Gaetz said in a fundraising email. “And we are doing it all without the help of the lobbyists, the PACs, and the special interests that have corrupted this town for far too long.”