Former naval aviator Aaron Dimmock submitted the necessary paperwork just in time to challenge Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida's Aug. 20 Republican primary.
Gaetz accused Dimmock of making his reelection less smooth by doing Kevin McCarthy's bidding. The congressman ridiculed his challenger as a “BLM supporting DEI instructor” on X.
As Mediaite reports:
Gaetz was responsible for McCarthy being ousted as Speaker of the House back in October. McCarthy, in turn, blamed his ouster on his refusal to stop an ethics complaint filed against Gaetz alleging that he slept with a teenager.
The Daily Caller, a right-wing news outlet, reported that Dimmock's LinkedIn page showed that the new congressional candidate “previously supported BLM and advocated for DEI.” Gaetz stated that this made Dimmock comparable to a “Woke Toby Flenderson,” a character from The Office. The site also said that both Dimmock and McCarthy have a connection with “a treasurer with American Patriots PAC, a group founded by allies of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.”
Dimmock filed to run as a Republican in Florida's 1st Congressional District on Friday, shortly before the noon deadline for federal candidates.
Until then, it seemed inevitable that Gaetz would cruise to reelection in his predominantly Republican district against Democrat Gay Valimont.
In recent years, Gaetz has successfully defeated various GOP challengers, including a well-funded campaign in 2022 by former FedEx executive Mark Lombardo. (RELATED: GOP Lawmaker Blames ‘Gaetz And 7 Useful Idiots' For House Chaos)
Dimmock has had a long career as a naval officer. He now directs leadership programs at the University of West Florida's Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership.
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