Jacob Ogles
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz fended off a Republican Primary challenge by Aaron Dimmock, a challenger vetted by ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Early election results showed him winning more than 71% to Dimmock’s 29%, ending a bitter contest that earned national attention.
Dimmock emerged as a candidate against Gaetz on the last day of Florida’s federal qualifying period. His paperwork immediately showed that he relied on campaign professionals who worked with McCarthy, and the former Speaker confirmed to POLITICO that he helped vet the candidate.
Through the end of July, Dimmock spent nearly $190,000 introducing himself to voters in Florida’s 1st Congressional District and hammering Gaetz over his personal scandals. McCarthy also continued to lambaste Gaetz at every opportunity. But Gaetz spent nearly 25 times that amount, responding with attacks on his own, painting Dimmock as an out-of-towner out of touch with Panhandle values.
He seized quickly on Dimmock’s ties to the state of Missouri — Dimmock still works remotely full-time for the state’s Office of Administration — and his background providing instruction on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
“Even people in Missouri don’t really understand what DEI Dimmock is doing LARPing in FL-01 as a congressional candidate,” Gaetz posted on X.
Gaetz quickly purchased internet domains with his opponent’s name and dubbed him DEI Dimmock. He Photoshopped an image of the veteran that replaced an American flag with a Black Lives Matter one.
Dimmock canvassed the district and appeared in several campaign videos with his mother, who lives there. Throughout, he attacked Gaetz as an embarrassment to the voters and someone whose lifestyle doesn’t align with the area’s conservative politics.
Repeatedly, Dimmock raised a federal sex trafficking investigation of Gaetz that launched in 2021 but ultimately resulted in no charges. However, in June, a House Ethics Committee announced it would continue its investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and drug use.
“This race is not about me. It’s about our families in the first district of Florida who are struggling,” Dimmock said. “To get our economy back on track, we need more serious representation in Congress.”
McCarthy continued to jab Gaetz in the national press. Their conflict was on full display at the Republican National Convention. Gaetz enjoyed a prime-time speaking slot, where he touted political ally Donald Trump as “unstoppable” in November. But more ink would be spilled on an interaction with the Congressman shouting from off-camera during a CNN interview with McCarthy.
“What night are you speaking? Are you speaking tonight?” Gaetz shouted at McCarthy, who had no speaking spot. McCarthy then started discussing the Gaetz investigation. “One person wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old,” he said on camera.
Gaetz has been notably married since the allegations surfaced and has worked to shed a playboy image. Even before that, Republican leaders stood by Gaetz through the federal investigation and rumors that Republicans might expel him after the McCarthy ouster.
The Panhandle isn’t the first place McCarthy sought out retribution against the handful of Republicans who voted to remove him as House Speaker.
He’s seen mixed results. He backed a challenger, John McGuire, to U.S. Rep. Bob Good in Virginia. McGuire narrowly defeated the House Freedom Caucus Chair in a Republican Primary. But U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace survived a Republican Primary challenge backed by McCarthy in June.
The winner of the Republican Primary in CD 1 will advance to face Democrat Gay Valimont in November. The district is arguably the safest Republican stronghold in Florida — more than 65% of voters in CD 1 supported Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election — so the winner of the GOP Primary will likely represent Panhandle voters in Congress next year.
