Matt Gaetz to embark on 5-day Panhandle campaign tour

Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz is holding a campaign tour where he will meet with several U.S. Congressmen, starting on Thursday.

The incumbent candidate for Florida’s 1st Congressional District announced that he will be holding his “Get Out the Vote” campaign rallies tour in the closing days of the Aug. 20 Primary. The tour will feature Gaetz making several stops across the Florida Panhandle while being joined by multiple House colleagues from different states.

Gaetz’s first stop will be at the Walton County GOP Headquarters in Santa Rosa Beach on Thursday. Here, he’ll be joined by Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee. Gaetz will then head to Pensacola on Saturday, where he will hold a rally alongside Republican U.S. Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona at the Palafox House.

Gaetz will then host back-to-back campaign rally events on Monday. For both, he will be joined by Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado. Gaetz and Boebert will first make an appearance in Milton at 11:00 a.m. and then head to another event at the Gator Cafe in Baker at 1 p.m.

Gaetz is currently running for re-election for CD 1. He has been re-elected to the Northwest Florida district, winning the seat for the first time in 2016. In 2022, he won his third term against Democratic opponent Rebekah Jones with nearly 70% voter support. Gaetz gained national attention in October 2023 after organizing the removal of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

This election, Gaetz will face Republican newcomer Aaron Dimmick, who announced his candidacy in May. Gaetz recently criticized Dimmock over holding a job with the Missouri Office of Administration while on the Florida campaign trail.

The winner of the Primary on Aug. 20 will then face the unopposed Democratic candidate, Gay Valimont, in the General Election on Nov. 5. CD 1 leans strongly Republican, with former President Donald Trump earning 65% support in the district in 2020 and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio earning 71% support in 2022.