Matt Gaetz

Matt Gaetz‘s political fortunes were never thought to be in jeopardy, despite being one of the most loathed members of Congress. That’s because the political nepo baby represents a deep red district in Florida’s panhandle, where his only legitimate challenge could come during a primary.

Until now.

Former naval aviator Alan Dimmock filed Monday to run in Florida’s 1st congressional district, with just hours to spare before the deadline. With a leadership position at the University of West Florida, Dimmock appears to be a more conventional, not to mention likeable, Republican.

That’s led many to theorize that jilted ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his allies could be behind Dimmock’s last-second bid. It’s apparent that McCarthy blames Gaetz (and pretty much only Gaetz) for his historic ousting.

And if you have any doubt, just ask him about it!

During a recent event at Georgetown, McCarthy was questioned about his epic fall from power. While the California Republican didn’t explicitly name Gaetz, it was easy to surmise his target.

“I’ll give you the truth why I’m not speaker. It’s because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint, because he slept with a 17-year-old,” he said. “An ethics complaint that started before I ever became speaker, and that’s illegal, and I’m not going to get in the middle.”

For the blissfully unaware, McCarthy is referring to the teen sex scandal involving Gaetz and an underage girl.

Gaetz was the subject of a federal investigation over allegations that he had helped transport a 17-year-old girl over state lines and had intercourse with her. He and his buddies, including convicted felon Joel Greenberg, allegedly procured multiple women online for the purposes of naughty play.

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While the Department of Justice closed its inquiry into Gaetz, the House Ethics Committee didn’t. Gaetz reportedly told friends he wanted to exact revenge on the humiliated former Speaker for not stopping the probe.

It’s apparent that Gaetz’s sleazy personal behavior is an open secret in Washington, and a big reason why colleagues are repulsed. The gay-hating lawmaker apparently boasts on the House floor about his conquests, bragging about how he “crushes E.D. medicine” so he “can go all night.”

🤢 🤢 🤢

McCarthy and Markwayne Mullin (the Oklahoma senator who tried to fight a witness at a hearing) aren’t the only Republicans to talk publicly about Gaetz’s alleged perverted acts. Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, a moderate Republican facing a tough primary challenge of his own, said last week on CNN that Gaetz “paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties.”

Earlier this year, the aforementioned congressional investigators obtained text messages from a young woman who said she had sex with Gaetz at a wild affair in which revelers partook in heavy alcohol and drug use.

“There were multiple sex parties,” a lawyer with knowledge of the case is quoted as saying in the New Yorker‘s extensive profile on Gaetz.

Though Gaetz claims he’s innocent, he sure acts like a guilty man, earning himself his “Rapey McForehead” moniker. He allegedly asked Trump to issue him a “blanket pardon” in relation to the sex trafficking investigation, according to witnesses. (The unprecedented request was denied). 

Amidst all of this bad (and disgusting) publicly, it’s not a surprise that some of Gaetz’s constituents appear to be tiring of his antics.

“He’s a dirtbag person,” Chris Smith, a voter who lives in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, recently told CBS News.

“He does what he does to get on TV,” added Aaron Mayer, who lives in Pensacola and typically votes for Republican candidates.

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As an answer to those concerns, disenchanted Republicans in the panhandle now have an alternative GOP choice this election cycle. Dimmock is a newcomer to politics, and already facing attacks from far-right Republicans.

Back in 2020, he shared a post on LinkedIn offering lukewarm support for the Black Lives Matter movement. A director for a firm that conducts workplace training, the navy vet said “we remain committed to making it better #leadership #inclusion.”

But apparently, those banal words are too much for Gaetz, who’s now likely going to brand Dimmock as a “far-left Marxist extremist” and blah, blah, blah.

That’s not to say there aren’t any real potential blemishes on Dimmock’s record. His LinkedIn page also says he lives in Missouri, which isn’t Florida, last time we checked…

Come August’s primary, it looks like panhandle Republicans will be choosing between a possible carpetbagger and pervert. While those may be imperfect options, the choice should be easy.

…Right?

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