Is alleged super creep Matt Gaetz plotting his political comeback?
Fresh off his resignation from Congress after his nomination for attorney general went up in flames due to his penchant for allegedly paying minors for sex at drug-fueled parties, former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida now says he is thinking about running for governor of the Sunshine State.
“I have a compelling vision for the state,” Gaetz told the Tampa Bay Times, confirming speculation that Gaetz was not yet done with elected office and could be plotting a comeback. “I understand how to fix the insurance problem, and it’s not to hand the keys to the state over to the insurance industry. If I run, I would be the most pro-consumer candidate on the Republican side.”
It's unclear if Gaetz could make it through a Republican primary, given the hefty load of baggage he carries.
The House Ethics Committee released a report in December that found, among other things, that Gaetz paid for sex with a 17-year-old high school student.
“The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” House Ethics Committee investigators wrote in the report.
Gaetz’s behavior was so abhorrent that when the House clerk announced on Jan. 3 that Gaetz would not be taking his seat in Congress, lawmakers actually applauded.
Gaetz, however, claims that the lurid details laid out in the House Ethics Committee report wouldn’t hurt him in a potential gubernatorial bid.
“Those lies have been told about me for years,” Gaetz said. “They’ve never affected my ability to win elections.”
There is precedent, however, of voters in a deep red state refusing to vote for someone accused of sexually assaulting minors.
In 2017, Democrat Doug Jones defeated accused child molester Roy Moore to win a U.S. Senate seat in ruby red Alabama.
What Gaetz has going for him in a potential gubernatorial bid is that he is popular among the MAGA faithful—which constitutes a big chunk of the Republican electorate that will choose the GOP nominee. Florida’s governor’s race will be open, as current Gov. Ron DeSantis is term limited.
Also a wildcard is whether Donald Trump, who likes Gaetz and nominated him to be his attorney general, would throw his support behind Gaetz's possible gubernatorial bid. If he did, Gaetz would immediately be the GOP front-runner.
However, given his baggage, Gaetz is likely one of the few Republican candidates who could make Florida's governor race competitive for Democrats in a general election.
“*anyone* other than Matt Gaetz would be clearly favored to win Florida in any environment at this point. Gaetz is the only person who would make it a tossup, and I'd take the under on him if I had to, even at those odds,” Lakshya Jain, an election handicapper, wrote in a post on X.
While he mulls over a bid, Gaetz is currently hosting a show on the little-watched right-wing propaganda network One America News, which has terrible production value and a makeup staff that makes Gaetz look like an airbrushed pumpkin.