Matt Gaetz Says He's Eyeing a Florida Gubernatorial Run in 2026: 'I Have a Compelling Vision'
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01/08/2025 02:50 PM
The former congressman's comments come weeks after the House Ethics Committee released a bombshell report claiming he paid for sex with a 17-year-old
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Matt Gaetz.Matt Gaetz is looking ahead to a possible run for Florida Governor.
Gaetz, a Republican politician and former representative for Florida's 1st congressional district, told the Tampa Bay Times that he is starting to think about running for governor in 2026. In the interview, published Jan. 7, Gaetz zeroed in on insurance issues in his home state.
Related: Matt Gaetz Is Reportedly Mulling a Run for Florida Governor
"I have a compelling vision for the state. I understand how to fix the insurance problem, and it's not to hand the keys to the state over to the insurance industry," Gaetz said. "If I run, I would be the most pro-consumer candidate on the Republican side."
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Matt Gaetz.Gaetz also spoke to The New York Timesabout his possible bid for Florida governor, adding that he'd already brought the idea to President-elect Donald Trump. The incoming president gave him advice, Gaetz said and told the former Florida congressman that many of his other allies would likely vie for the position as well.
Though he did not reveal the contents of their discussion, Gaetz told NYT that Trump "knows that I have ambition," he said.
His comments come weeks after the House Ethics Committee released a bombshell report that claimed Gaetz paid for sex with a 17-year-old, in addition to engaging in "prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges and obstruction of Congress."
One day before his resignation on Nov. 14, Gaetz was nominated for attorney general by President-elect Donald Trump. Just one week later, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for the position, citing that the House Ethics Committee's investigation into him was "unfairly" pulling focus from Trump's transition.
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Matt Gaetz with Donald Trump.Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.
"It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition," Gaetz wrote on X.
He continued, stating that the ongoing scandal would prevent him from properly preparing for the attorney general position.
One day after he announced his withdrawal, he told right-wing personality Charlie Kirk that he didn't intend on running for Congress again, and would support the incoming president "from a new perch."
