Rep. Matt Gaetz Mocks Nemesis Ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy As A ‘Loser’

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) won the GOP nomination for Florida’s first congressional district against the former naval officer Aaron Dimmock.

The Florida representative led Dimmock 70.52% to 29.48% with only the early voting and mail-in ballots counted, the Florida Division of Elections reported.

Dimmock was backed by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Gaetz was one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy in October 2023.

Gaetz mocked McCarthy’s backing of the ex-naval officer and his opponent’s post-military career, which involved training corporate managers in diversity. He labeled Dimmock as a diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) instructor, which has become a derogatory term in Republican politics. At one campaign event, Gaetz stated that DEI was “anti-white racism.”

A McCarthy-aligned super PAC known as Florida Patriots PAC spent $3.5 million on ads against Gaetz, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. The group ran ads highlighhting the ongoing Ethics Committee investigation into the representative over accusations of drug use and sexual misconduct.

“Your daughters are never safe with the real Matt Gaetz,” one of the PAC’s advertisements claimed.

However, Florida Patriots PAC ceased spending in the race three weeks ago.

Gaetz gloated about his victory on social media. He reposted a comment that called McCatrhy a “loser.” The post read: “All jokes aside, Kevin McCarthy needs to be excommunicated from the Republican party. He spent $3 million valuable dollars trying to unseat Matt Gaetz, one of the best reps in Congress. McCarthy could’ve easily spent that money helping Trump. What a sad, pathetic LOSER.”