Doug Broxson won’t run to succeed Matt Gaetz in Congress

Former state Sen. Doug Broxson won’t be running to succeed U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz in Congress.

The Gulf Breeze Republican, who represented part of the Panhandle in the Legislature for more than a decade, ended speculation about whether he may run in a potential Special Election in Florida’s 1st Congressional District.

The 75-year-old said he believes the region will be better served by a lawmaker who intends to build seniority over time.

“It has been gratifying to have so many friends and family in both Washington and our local area calling me to offer support if I were to present myself as a candidate for Congressional District 1, but I believe that now is the time for someone to step into Matt Gaetz’s position who is younger and can represent us in Congress with the same energy that he has over the past several years,” he said.

“I wanted to officially make my position known so that the voters can begin to focus on making a decision about the many other great candidates who are expressing an interest in running.”

Broxson served in the Florida Senate from 2016 through 2022, and before that in the Florida House from 2010 to 2016.

Gaetz resigned his seat after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for Attorney General. However, the same day Broxson announced he would not run, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. Now it remains an open question if Gaetz will still leave the seat vacant or be sworn in on Jan. 3 to a fifth term.

The potential for a Special Election, however, has drawn several candidates into the race, including state Reps. Joel Rudman and Michelle Salzman, former U.S. Senate candidate Keith Gross and Bikers for Trump leader Bernadette Pittman.

“Like all of our constituents, I’ll be making my own evaluation of the candidates based on their values, willingness to fight the overreach of federal government, and commitment to America’s military and veterans,” Broxson said. “This will be an important decision and one that we need to make sure that we get right.”