McCarthy-Gaetz feud reaches apex in Florida primary

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) faces a primary challenge on Tuesday as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and his allies seek revenge against the Republicans who ousted him nearly a year ago. 

That revenge tour will reach its apex with the multi-million dollar effort to defeat Gaetz, a conservative rabble-rouser who spearheaded the effort to take McCarthy’s gavel, is the last of the Republicans to voted to oust the former Speaker to face a primary this year — and who McCarthy clearly loathes.

The two clashed in person at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., last month, with Gaetz taunting McCarthy for not having a speaking slot at the convention. McCarthy ignored Gaetz, but in later comments turned attention to the ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz that includes a probe into allegations the Florida Republican had a sexual relationship with an 17-year-old girl, which the lawmaker has vigorously denied.

Those allegations and frustration about Gaetz’s move to oust McCarthy have been central in the effort to unseat Gaetz in the deep-red Florida panhandle district he has represented since 2017.

Aaron Dimmock, a retired naval officer and leadership consultant, launched a last-minute run against Gaetz when he saw no one else enter the race – which included a change in travel plans to get back to Pensacola at midnight and FedEx-delivering a check to pay the qualifying fee and make the ballot on the filing deadline.

Dimmock told The Hill that he has never spoken to McCarthy, but that he jumped into the race in part over frustrations about Gaetz’s political moves like ousting McCarthy — as well as over the allegations of misconduct that have plagued Gaetz for years.

“The voters here are embarrassed by our incumbents. They can't understand the chaos that he caused to the Republican Party over the last several years,” Dimmock said of Gaetz.

The political newcomer, though, faces an uphill battle against the firebrand.

As of July 31, Dimmock had raised $336,675, compared to nearly $5.7 million for Gaetz. The Gaetz family is well known in the area, and the congressman’s father Don Gaetz, the former president of the Florida Senate, is coming out of retirement as he seeks to return to the state legislature this year.

“I was under no illusion of the dynamic here with the Gaetz family and politics and Congressman Gaetz in particular, for the hill that was going to have to be climbed,” Dimmock said. “And we’ve climbed it – who knows how close we’ve gotten to the summit.”

Dimmock’s candidacy, though, is getting a boost from a newly-formed super PAC with connections to McCarthy allies that has spent more $3 million in the race so far — including on brutal ads that highlight the misconduct allegations against Gaetz.

“Your daughters are never safe with the real Matt Gaetz,” a narrator says in one ad from the Florida Patriots PAC, referencing the allegations against him, and showing Gaetz’s mugshot from a 2008 DUI arrest (charges from which were later dropped).

The Department of Justice declined to charge Gaetz with any crime after investigating the alleged sexual misconduct, but the Ethics Committee probe has kept the issue alive. Since his gavel was yanked away, McCarthy has repeatedly accused Gaetz of spearheading the charge to oust him because the Speaker would not halt the Ethics Committee investigation, which Gaetz has denied.

Another eyebrow-raising ad from Florida Patriots PAC opens with video of the second World Trade Center tower being hit with a plane on 9/11 – aiming to pump up Dimmock’s experience as a naval aviator, saying that he had patrolled Ground Zero.

The Florida Patriots PAC is funded entirely by another super PAC called America Fund, which in turn is funded largely by the American Prosperity Alliance, a 501(c)4 “dark money” group that does not have to disclose its donors but is connected to McCarthy allies. It has been active in primaries against other Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy from the Speakership.

Those connected to the Florida Patriots PAC and a representative for McCarthy did not respond to The Hill’s inquiries for this story. As of July 31, McCarthy’s leadership PAC had not directly contributed to Dimmock’s campaign as it did to challengers to other Republicans who voted to oust him.

Even with those ads, Dimmock has a lot of ground to make up.

A July 8-10 poll conducted by GOP firm Fabrizio, Lee & Associates showed Gaetz with a hefty lead over Dimmock, 67 percent to 20 percent, according to a poll memo shared with The Hill. 

It is unclear whether the PAC ads have shifted the race since then. But Gaetz has called in backup from a number of his hard-right allies in Congress ahead of the Tuesday primary. 

Those who were featured at Gaetz campaign events in August include Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), as well as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

And Gaetz has combated Dimmock’s candidacy with two main attacks: Saying he supports diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, citing old posts on LinkedIn about diversity and inclusion; and hitting Dimmock for working for the state of Missouri while running for office in Florida.

“Aaron Dimmock is a BLM supporting DEI instructor who qualified for office with a Missouri Drivers License and still works for Missouri Government. Even Kevin McCarthy’s $3 million couldn’t put enough lipstick on this pig,” Gaetz said in a statement to The Hill. “Put another way – they aren’t sending their best.”

Dimmock pushed back on Gaetz.

“The DEI thing, it’s never been anything I’ve supported. I believe in meritocracy,” Dimmock told The Hill. “Folks that deserve the opportunity and have the capability and capacity to do the job are the ones that should be advanced and promoted.”

Job-wise, Dimmock said he had started a job at the University of West Florida to assist with its Center for Leadership, but was at the same time working a remote job with the State of Missouri’s leadership academy. Dimmock stepped away from the Florida job but kept the Missouri one when he started running for office because it was more flexible and could accommodate the campaign schedule, he said.

“I am not independently wealthy like the Gaetz family,” Dimmock said. “I actually have to work my tail off to be able to continue to provide for our children who are getting through college and food on the table and support my family – I can't walk away from an income entirely.”

Campaign filings show there are plenty of high-powered people who are hoping Dimmock takes down Gaetz, including billionaire GOP mega donors Paul Singer and Harlan Crow, and former Vice President Dan Quayle. The campaign for Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), who is a member of the House Ethics Committee, also contributed to Dimmock.

While Gaetz campaigns with fellow rabble-rousers, Dimmock said that he would be more drawn to members like Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) – a former House member and ally of McCarthy – and Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), a fellow veteran who represents a military-heavy district similar to Florida’s 1st Congressional District.

The Florida primary is the last stop on the “revenge tour” in primaries against those who moved to oust McCarthy, which has seen mixed success.

McCarthy and his allies got one primary win this summer when State Sen. John McGuire narrowly defeated Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), the House Freedom Caucus Chairman, who also faced public criticism from former President Trump over his prior endorsement of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for president.

But it has faltered elsewhere.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) won her primary earlier this year, despite McCarthy’s PAC donating to her opponent and a “South Carolina Patriots PAC” funded by the American Prosperity Alliance spending $3.8 million to defeat Mace. Crane also easily beat a primary challenger, despite the American Prosperity Alliance running ads against him.

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) is not running for reelection, and Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) resigned from Congress earlier this year. The last two McCarthy antagonists, Biggs and Burchett, were uncontested in their primaries.