Jacob Ogles
Connections to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy may give Aaron Dimmock the ability to challenge U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz. But the incumbent in a new ad is blasting that connection as a significant liability.
“Matt Gaetz fought the swamp and won,” a narrator states over footage of a fist-raising Gaetz. “Now the corrupt politicians and lobbyists want revenge.”
Gaetz last year filed a motion to oust McCarthy as Speaker, the first successful firing of a Speaker in the chamber’s history. Within months, McCarthy also resigned his U.S. House seat representing California.
But the former Speaker has remained politically active, including vetting Dimmock as Republican Primary challenger to Gaetz in Florida’s 1st Congressional District.
The ad goes on to say Washington lobbyists are “spending millions pushing liberal Aaron Dimmock.” The spot started airing in CD 1 on Monday on broadcast, cable and streaming.
Notably, it remains unclear how much will be spent by Dimmock’s campaign, which hasn’t filed its first fundraising report yet. Gaetz hasn’t filed second-quarter reports yet but had almost $2.1 million in his campaign account at the end of March.
The ad attacks Dimmock’s work at the Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute overseeing diversity training initiatives, a background that Gaetz has frequently criticized.
“Dimmock supports Black Lives Matter, and makes money pushing racist DEI propaganda,” the ad’s narrator states.
The spot then shifts to promoting Gaetz’s record on local issues, like securing $600 million this year for military spending in Florida’s Panhandle.
It also notes Gaetz’s close relationship to former President Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee. Trump endorsed Gaetz, a regular surrogate for his own campaign.
“Stand with Trump. Reject liberal Aaron Dimmock,” the ad closes. “Vote for Matt Gaetz.”
The Republican Primary on Aug. 20 will likely determine who holds the seat in the next Congress. More than 65% of voters in CD 1 backed Trump in the 2020 election.
Stand with Trump
Reject McCarthy-Puppet Aaron Dimmock
Vote for Matt Gaetz pic.twitter.com/9WwINW2aM7
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) July 8, 2024
