Weeks after withdrawing his name from consideration for Attorney General in President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration, former Florida representative Matt Gaetz has showed his support for a fellow Republican ally to fill the vacant Congress seat he left after receiving the AG nomination.
Gaetz previously resigned from his duties right after being nominated by Trump, a move many believed was aimed at avoiding the release of a House Ethics Committee report that accused him of sexual misconduct, drug use, accepting improper gift and of giving favors to personal acquaintances. But since he cannot return to his post, Gaetz is now out of a political job. He will join OAN as a news anchor.
Since his resignation, Florida's 1st Congressional District seat has been vacant and several politicians have made public of their intentions to run for the coveted seat.
With the qualifying period ending on Dec. 13, a dozen people have entered the race that will be decided on a special general election on April 1. Among them is Jimmy Patronis, Florida's former Chief Financial Officer and close ally of Trump who has been signaled as the favorite to win the election.
Patronis' chances of being elected into Congress saw a major boost on Dec. 11 when Gaetz showed his support towards him by saying Patronis' resignation as the state's CFO "validates the people of Florida's 1st district" that includes Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties
In a video shared on his X social media account, the former Florida congressman noted that a lot of "talent" is vying for the seat, although he urged voters should pay attention to Patronis.
FL-01 is very special. @JimmyPatronis wanting to serve you proves it!
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 9, 2024
Thanks for giving me the honor of my life to represent you all these years.
I’ll still be in the fight - just from a new perch 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/cy7ksm9dLj
"Jimmy Patronis just resigned as the Chief Financial Officer of the state to come and seek this position, and this should validate the people of Florida's 1st district," Gaetz said. "Patronis was a statewide elected official. His bosses ranged from Key West all the way up to Jacksonville, all the way up to Perdido Key, and he is willing to trade a statewide elected position because Florida 1 is that special," the former congressman added.
Although Gaetz is the latest Republican figure to show his support for Patronis' candidacy for Florida's 1st Congressional District, he also counts with the support of Trump.
In a post on his Truth Social account, President-elect Trump said in November that Patronis had "been a wonderful friend to me," and added that if he ended up entering the race, Patronis had Trump's "complete and total endorsement," finishing with the message "RUN, JIMMY, RUN!."
Who is Jimmy Patronis?
Born in Panama City, Florida, Patronis has held many different positions within the Florida government since entering the world of politics in the late 1990s.
He started off as an intern in the Florida Senate, and in just a couple of years, he was appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles to the Florida Elections Commission, a position that he held between 1998 and 2003.
Prior to serving as the state's Chief Financial Officer, Patronis was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 6th district from 2006 to 2014.
Due to term-limit restrictions, Patronis could not return to the state's House of Representatives after 2014. The following year, Gov. Rick Scott appointed Patronis to the Florida Public Service Commission until 2017, when he ran for the CFO position that was up for grabs after Jeff Atwater announced he was resigning.
With the Florida CFO position only able to seek reelection once, Patronis will be term-limited in 2026, thus making him a serious candidate to replace Gaetz in Congress.
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