Dem
47
GOP
53
Over the weekend, Matt Gaetz made it official: He will not return to Congress. This is happy news for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), as he is once again the undisputed biggest a**hole on Capitol Hill. Congratulations, Senator!
For now, Gaetz will keep the lights on by doing personalized messages on the website Cameo for $500 a pop. If not for the fact that it would put $500 in his pocket, we are very tempted to hire Gaetz to record a pep talk for a "friend" who lost out on a big promotion because he was accused of sexual misconduct.
For the right person, Cameo can be a pretty lucrative gig. If you don't already know, you'd NEVER guess the site's top earner. It's Brian Baumgartner, the actor who played Kevin Malone, one of the accountants on The Office. It would seem that people, particularly accountants, like to hire Baumgartner to record messages in character, usually for other accountants. Anyhow, he pulls down seven figures a year. That's probably out of reach for the former Representative, but six figures is probably in reach.
Of course, Gaetz' real gig in the next 2 years is going to be running for governor. We do not have our finger on the pulse of Florida politics, so we don't know how plausible that really is. On one hand, Gaetz got himself elected and reelected because he represented a ruby-red district in the Florida panhandle. Maybe a statewide electorate wouldn't be so amenable to someone like him. On the other hand, Gaetz is famous and well-connected, which helps, and the Sunshine state twice elected Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). So, there's clearly a lot of tolerance for, you know, fascists.
Meanwhile, DeSantis has set the date for the special elections that need to be held. The primary will be January 28, and the general election will be... wait for it... April 1. Maybe that's a coincidence, or maybe that's some world-class trolling. If it's the latter, Gaetz presumably should not expect DeSantis' endorsement in 2026.
The field for Gaetz' old district is going to be large. Already, eight Republicans, three Democrats and two independents have jumped in, and more candidates are expected. Donald Trump has thrown his (considerable) weight behind Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis (R), so you have to assume he'll end up as Gaetz' successor. Trump's support should be enough to propel Patronis to victory in a fragmented primary field, and whoever wins the GOP primary is going to win the general. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) said he won't resign until January 20, but the special election for his district (the R+7 FL-06) is expected to follow the same calendar as the election for Gaetz' district. (Z)