Matt Gaetz Says He May Run for Florida Governor Weeks After Bombshell Ethics Report Alleged He Bought Sex with a Minor

Mar. 15, 2025

Matt Gaetz.Photo:Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty

Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty

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 theTampa Bay Timesthat 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.

“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.”

Matt Gaetz.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty

Gaetz also spoke toThe 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 toldNYTthat Trump “knows that I have that ambition,” he said.

Matt Gaetz with Donald Trump.Andrew Harnik/AP

Andrew Harnik/AP

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“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 personalityCharlie Kirkthat he didn’t intend on running for Congress again, and wouldsupport the incoming president “from a new perch.”

source: people.com