Matt Gaetz, who resigned from Congress before withdrawing his name for consideration as attorney general, teased a potential run for Florida governor.
Former Florida State Rep. Anthony Sabatini said on X that “Matt Gaetz will be the next Governor of the State of Florida.”
Gaetz responded by posting a GIF of a waving Florida flag.
https://t.co/yDMNvCAGJm pic.twitter.com/Z8mPniNUeS
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 23, 2024
“Whats next?” Gaetz asked in another post.
Whats next? pic.twitter.com/KyH966rUFD
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 24, 2024
In an interview with Charlie Kirk, Gaetz confirmed he does not intend on returning to the House of Representatives.
“I’m still gonna be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz said.
WATCH:
THE CHARLIE KIRK SHOW EXCLUSIVE
MATT GAETZ: “I’m still gonna be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress.”
Full interview publishing here in 30 min:https://t.co/YaGD2n9t8k pic.twitter.com/q26tsxySBw
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) November 22, 2024
Gaetz said he wanted to focus on family and support President Donald Trump in other ways.
Per NBC News:
Gaetz noted he has been in elected office for 14 years, having first been elected to Florida’s state House when he was 28 years old.
“I’m 42 now, and I’ve got other goals in life that I’m eager to pursue — my wife and my family — and so I’m going to be fighting for President Trump,” he said. “I’m going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have. But I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”
Gaetz said it seems like “a pretty poetic time to allow that great new blood to come in, to allow my district to have high-quality representation.”
He also alluded to playing a continued role in Trump’s plans, without getting into specifics.
“We need a leadership structure under President Trump that’s going to allow for durability of our movement and the ability to continue this great realignment of our politics, and so I’ll play a part in that,” he said. “I plan to be a big voice, but maybe not as an elected member of the government.”
According to reports, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose term ends in January 2027, will not appoint Gaetz to the Sunshine State’s vacant U.S. Senate seat.
“Matt Gaetz appears to tease a run for Governor of Florida,” Benny Johnson said.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 23, 2024
Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz teases run for Florida governor https://t.co/vx5Eiom0cQ pic.twitter.com/1bkR40PoOX
— New York Post (@nypost) November 24, 2024
From the New York Post:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited from seeking re-election.
Gaetz announced Thursday he was no longer a candidate to run the Justice Department, causing some Republicans to question whether he’d attempt to reclaim the House seat he was re-elected to earlier this month or seek a different position — including potentially lobbying to take over for Marco Rubio in the Senate once Rubio resigns to become Trump’s secretary of state.
Gaetz resigned from the lame-duck 118th Congress immediately after Trump announced his choice of the lawmaker as AG Nov. 13, but he left the door open to taking his seat in the 119th Congress, which convenes Jan. 3.
If Gaetz decides he wants to return to House, he will have to contend with an ethics probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing.
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