Gaetz gets last-minute Florida GOP primary challenger in boost to McCarthy allies

Former California Rep. Kevin McCarthy has a chance for revenge against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in the form of a GOP primary challenger in the 2024 election.

Former naval officer and aviator Aaron Dimmock filed his paperwork on Friday, the deadline, to run against Gaetz, who led a coalition of seven other House GOP members to join all Democrats in ousting McCarthy last fall. Dimmock is the director of leadership programs at the University of West Florida’s Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership.

Dimmock’s entry is a win for McCarthy and his allies, who have long criticized Gaetz for the former speaker’s removal as being personally motivated. Gaetz had accused McCarthy of making a “back deal” with Democrats to pass a continuing resolution, but the former speaker alleged the reason was due to an ethics investigation into the Florida congressman.

McCarthy recently blamed the months of GOP infighting and a “broken” conference on Gaetz.

“I think they’re in disarray, but it stems from those eight [Republicans] working with all the Democrats,” McCarthy said in a MediaBuzz interview. “The conference is broken because they never dealt with those eight, and until they do, it would stay broken.”

“What Matt Gaetz did has broken the Republican majority. He’s now created Lord of the Flies. Ask anybody inside our conference. They actually know it,” the former speaker said.

Dave Wasserman, an elections analyst for the Cook Political Report, noted Dimmock’s entry was a boost for McCarthy allies, and he said the Gaetz primary will now be a “race to watch.”

It’s unclear if McCarthy will help support or fund Dimmock’s race. The naval officer will face an uphill battle to defeat Gaetz in the primary, who has a history of defeating his challengers thanks to his name recognition and fundraising coffers. In 2022, Gaetz defeated former FedEx executive Mark Lombardo by more than 40 percentage points despite accusations of being involved in sex trafficking.

Gaetz is a close ally of former President Donald Trump and received his endorsement in 2022, which helped contribute greatly to winning the 1st Congressional District that Trump carried by 33 points in 2020.

However, Gaetz has received severe backlash from his fellow Republicans for leading the ouster of McCarthy, as well as his campaigning against House incumbents in favor of their more hard-line conservative primary challengers.

His sexual misconduct allegations continue to be in play, as well. Although the Justice Department opened a federal investigation into allegations against Gaetz and he was never charged, the House Ethics Committee is reportedly continuing to investigate the matter as of earlier this year.

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As for McCarthy, who decided not to run for reelection shortly after his ousting, the special election to determine his successor is heading to a runoff on May 21 between California Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong and Republican Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux. Whoever wins will fill McCarthy’s seat for the remainder of the 118th Congress.

The Washington Examiner reached out to Gaetz for comment.