President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Rep. Matt Gaetz to be his Attorney General. Our congressman didn’t wait for the Senate’s confirmation and resigned from the House yesterday afternoon.
At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the resignation triggers the eight-week process that it takes to fill a U.S. House seat in Florida under state law. He said, “I’ve already placed a call to Gov. DeSantis in Florida and said ‘let’s start the clock’ … and we may be able to fill that seat as early as Jan. 3.”
- We could have as many as nine candidates in the race.
When Congressman Jeff Miller announced that he was retiring in 2016, we saw a crowded field:
GOP Primary
Rebekah Johansen Bydlak (REP)
Cris Dosev (REP)
Greg Evers (REP)
Gary Fairchild (REP)
Brian Frazier (REP)
Matt Gaetz (REP)
Mark Wichern (REP)
James Zumwalt (REP)
General Election
Steven Specht (DEM)
Candidates who have run for the post since then:
2018
Cris Dosev (REP)
John Mills (REP)
Jennifer M. Zimmerman (DEM)
Phil Ehr (DEM)
2020
Greg Merk (REP)
John Mills (REP)
Phil Ehr (DEM)
Albert Oram (NPA)
2022
Mark Lombardo (REP)
Greg Merk (REP)
Rebekah Jones (DEM)
Peggy Schiller (DEM)
2024
Aaron Dimmock (REP)
Gay Valimont (DEM)
WHO WILL RUN?
State Rep. Michelle Salzman has announced at several public and private gatherings that she would run for the seat whenever Matt Gaetz stepped down. Unfortunately, she burned through most of her PAC money, flying first-class and staying in five-star resorts. Will lobbyists pony up to help her go to Washington, D.C.?
- Salzman posted on social media yesterday: “I must admit my phone has really been blowing up with texts and calls from many I respect since Congressman Gaetz was announced as President Trump’s pick for Attorney General. I am going to weigh my options and seriously consider it.”
Escambia County Clerk Pam Childers has garnered considerable attention in Northwest Florida. She went 2-1 in her endorsements in the county commission races, suggesting that she may be ready for a bigger stage.
Former Pensacola mayors Ashton Hayward and Grover Robinson have shown their electability and ability to raise money. Other possible Escambia and Santa Rosa candidates are Frank White, James Calkins, Mike Hill, Jonathon Wiggins, Mike Kohler, Gene Valentino, Cris Dosev, and Haley Morrisette.
- From Okaloosa County, one name continues to surface – County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel.
MY PLEDGE: Whoever runs, Inweekly, this blog and “Real News with Rick Outzen” will be your contact point for what’s happening. No one has better sources.
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