Gaetz Seemingly Endorses Patronis to Succeed Him in Congress

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) has broken his silence on the upcoming race for Florida's 1st Congressional District. In a video shared on social media, the former Florida congressman noted that a lot of "talent" is vying for the seat. However, he believes voters should pay particular attention to former Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis (R). Though former Rep. Gaetz didn't formally endorse Patronis, his seeming support for the frontrunner in the race could boost his candidacy.

In a message to his former constituents, Rep. Gaetz thanked the residents of his district for allowing him to serve in congress. The former congressman was tapped by President Donald Trump (R) last month to serve as the Attorney General of the country. He resigned from office shortly after being nominated, but legal woes and controversies impeded his aspirations, and he withdrew his nomination to not "distract" from the work of the Trump Administration. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) was quickly announced as his replacement.

Questions lingered regarding Rep. Gaetz's political future. Some speculated that he would launch a congressional bid for District 1, and others speculated that he would be appointed to the senate to replace Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R). However, after announcing that he will head a nightly news show called The Matt Gaetz Show, it's clear that he won't be heading back to political office anytime soon.

But what does he think about the upcoming race to elect his replacement?

"Jimmy Patronis just resigned as the Chief Financial Officer of the state to come and seek this position, and this should validate the people of Florida's 1st district," he commented, adding that "[Patronis] was a statewide elected official. His bosses ranged from Key West all the way up to Jacksonville, all the way up to Perdido Key, and he is willing to trade a statewide elected position because Florida 1 is that special."