Field set in Special Election to replace Matt Gaetz, including 10 Republicans

The field is set in the Special Election to replace former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz in Congress. A total of 16 candidates qualified to run in Florida’s 1st Congressional District.

That includes 10 Republicans, a Democrat, a candidate without party affiliation and four write-in candidates.

Republicans running in a Jan. 28 Primary include:

— Aaron Dimmock: The Republican challenger recruited by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy against Matt Gaetz filed and qualified on Friday. The former fighter pilot’s first military assignment after attending the Naval Academy was at Naval Flight School in Pensacola. He was later an instructor pilot for Patrol Squadron Thirty at NAS Jacksonville. Gaetz won a Republican Primary in August against Dimmock with 71% of the vote, but Dimmock does have the advantage of having spent $311,000 on a campaign in CD 1 this year. The big question may be whether McCarthy still rallies donors around his candidacy now.

— Kevin Gaffney: The Freeport Republican filed with the state on Nov. 26, and touted his background working for the Justice Department. An online biography said Gaffney worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Unit in Chicago and for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Enforcement Division in Washington. He also worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of General Counsel, in Illinois. Gaffney now teaches on American government and economics at Rocky Bayou Christian School in Niceville.

— Jeff Macey: The Fort Walton Beach Republican was among the last entries into the race. He is the registered agent for MetroMace, which formed in 2009. He filed and paid a qualifying fee the same day.

— Greg Merk: The former candidate for the Florida House in 2018 lost a Republican Primary to now-state Rep. Alex Andrade. The Pensacola Republican’s campaign said Merk wants to “expose the global Marxists who are targeting the US economy using false narratives of climate change to transform America and redistribute wealth around the world.” He filed with the state on Thursday.

— John Mills: The Republican candidate opened a federal account to run for the seat in May and announced he will run in the seat. The retired Navy pilot said he will focus on being a “Citizen Representative” and won’t be beholden to special interests. “Washington has lost touch with everyday Americans,” he said in a press release. His agenda includes defending the Second Amendment, ending illegal immigration, unleashing the nation’s energy independence and bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. Mills in 2022 challenged then-state Sen. Doug Broxson in a Republican Primary.

— Jimmy Patronis: Florida’s Chief Financial Officer has already landed a critical endorsement from Trump. Patronis also resigned his statewide office to run, and cannot revoke the resignation whether he wins or loses the race. In a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, he touted achievements over his time in the Florida Cabinet, where he has served since 2010. “We have worked with the Florida Legislature to provide benefits for mental health and cancer for Florida’s first responders,” Patronis wrote. “They are always there when we need them, and in return, we showed up for them in their time of need.” The Panama City Republican will vacate his current post on March 31.

— Jeff Peacock: The Milton Republican previously served as New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin’s outreach and strategic policy director, filed for the seat and qualified with the state by fee the same day. The education policy expert previously worked for FreedomWorks as a senior investment relations officer and as a program manager for The Manhattan Institute. “I believe our veterans deserve our respect and our gratitude for their service,” he said, “and as their congressman, I will fight day in and day out to make sure they get the benefits they are entitled to.”

— Joel Rudman: The state Representative has already filed his resignation from the Florida House, effective Jan. 1, in order to run for the open seat. The Navarre Republican counts himself as a close ally of Gaetz, calling himself an “heir apparent” to the seat. Rudman, a physician, joined the Legislature after winning a Republican Primary over Mariya Calkins in the heavily Republican House District 3. He won re-election to a second term in November. Rudman first ran for office when his positions on COVID prompted people to challenge his medical license. In the Legislature, he helped pass a “medical freedom” law that he said now combines “the rights of medical conscience with the rights of physicians’ freedom of speech.”

— Michael Dylan Thompson: The Pensacola Republican would be the first Generation Z GOP member of Congress. “We can’t wait for generational politicians to bring the change Floridians need,” his Facebook page reads. He spoke to Newsweek about his candidacy, where the attorney also stressed the need for members of his party to better communicate with young voters. “Democrats are ahead of the game in electing young officials for Congress,” he said. A native of Pensacola, he graduated as valedictorian of Booker T. Washington High before studying political science at the University of Alabama. He also was Vice President of the Federalist Society at Yale Law School. He qualified by petition.

— Gene Valentino: The former Escambia County Commissioner announced last month he will run for the open seat in Congress. “I am in this race to champion policies that will strengthen our economy, support our veterans, and put America First.” Valentino will run on his track record both as a County Commissioner and in the private sector, where he was founding president of mobile phone company CellularOne Central California. Valentino since losing re-election in 2014 has run the Grassroots TruthCast podcast.

Other candidates will appear on the April 1 ballot for the Special General Election, including:

— Gay Valimont: The Democrat who challenged Gaetz in the General Election, Valimont announced she will also run for the seat in the Special Election and in 2026. The Moms Demand Action activist said the region still needs a restoration of respect in its representation. “Just days after the voters of this district entrusted their representation to him, Matt Gaetz abandoned his seat and walked away from the responsibility of serving the people of Northwest Florida, leaving us with no representation in Congress,” she said at her latest campaign launch. She’s the only Democratic candidate who qualified.

— Stephen Broden: The Constitution Party’s vice presidential nominee in 2024 still lists a Texas address but paid the qualifying fee to run in the Florida seat. He is the founder and Senior Pastor of Fair Park Bible Fellowship in the Dallas area. He is running for the congressional seat without any party affiliation.

Write-in candidates include:

— Richard Paul Dembinsky: VoteSmart said the Port Orange man previously ran in Florida’s 6th Congressional District this year, in Senate District 7 in 2008, for Governor in 2006 and in House District 28 in 2004.

— Stanley Gray: The activist initially filed as a Democrat but qualified as a write-in. He is campaigning roadside with hand-drawn signs.

— Jonathan Green: The Senior Project Manager & Lead Humanity Mediator at Pensacola-based J. Garrett Green & Associates initially filed with plans to appear on the ballot but qualified as a write in.

— Stan McDaniels: The candidate initially filed as a Libertarian but ultimately qualified as a write-in, saving a fee. He previously challenged Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender in a 2022 Republican Primary.

Located in the Panhandle and anchored by Pensacola, CD 1 is one of the most conservative districts in the state. Gaetz was elected to the seat in 2016, winning more than 69% of the vote. This year, he won with 66% of the vote. More than 53% of the electorate is registered as a Republican, according to the most recent L2 voter data. Only 22% of the district’s voters are registered as Democrats.