Rep. Matt Gaetz defeats the GOP primary opponent endorsed by Kevin McCarthy

Rep. Matt Gaetz defeats the GOP primary opponent endorsed by Kevin McCarthy
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According to NBC News, Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, defeated former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in his final primary match, ending his campaign for vengeance.

With the support of California Republican Senator Mike McCarthy, Gaetz defeated veteran of the Navy Aaron Dimmock in the heavily Republican 1st District on the Florida Panhandle.

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Gaetz and other Republicans who voted to remove him from the speakership in the latter part of last year were the targets of McCarthy and his allies. This summer, McCarthy managed to secure only one victory, which was in aiding House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, R-Virginia. Following their votes to remove McCarthy, Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Eli Crane of Arizona successfully repelled primary challenges as well.

Ad tracking company AdImpact reports that a McCarthy-aligned super PAC named Florida Patriots PAC spent $3.5 million on advertisements against Gaetz. The group’s advertisements alluded to Gaetz’s current inquiry by the Ethics Committee into claims of drug abuse and sexual misbehavior. Gaetz has called the probe “frivolous,” dismissing it.

However, three weeks ago, Florida Patriots PAC withdrew its funding from the race, indicating that Gaetz was in a good position going into the primary.

Gaetz also benefited from the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Using audio from a TV commercial in which Trump described Gaetz as “a very good person, and he’s a very capable man,” Gaetz publicized the endorsement. Have you ever watched this person on TV? similar to a machine. He’s excellent. He adores the nation and Florida in particular.

McCarthy is speculating that his work was not entirely in vain and that Gaetz might have been hurt if he had chosen to run for statewide office in the future.

McCarthy stated at the Republican convention last month, “He will never be able to run for governor the way he wants to, in my opinion,” according to The Independent.

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