{"id":2327925,"date":"2024-08-20T21:03:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T01:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gaetz-beats-mccarthy-backed-rival-in-biggest-revenge-tour-setback-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-20T21:05:23","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T01:05:23","slug":"gaetz-beats-mccarthy-backed-rival-in-biggest-revenge-tour-setback-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gaetz-beats-mccarthy-backed-rival-in-biggest-revenge-tour-setback-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaetz beats McCarthy-backed rival in biggest &#8216;revenge tour&#8217; setback &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgaetz-beats-mccarthy-backed-rival-in-biggest-revenge-tour-setback-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2327925&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Firebrand Representative \u2064Matt Gaetz (R-FL) secured a significant victory in his reelection bid, defeating GOP\u2062 challenger Aaron Dimmock with 69.7% of the vote to Dimmock&#8217;s \u206230.3%. This election is\u2063 one of the most notable defeats \u2063for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during his \u2064&#8221;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-revenge-tour-trump-to-hold-first-campaign-style-rally-in-ohio-since-leaving-the-white-house\/\" title=\"The Revenge Tour? Trump To Hold First Campaign-Style Rally In Ohio Since Leaving The White House\">revenge tour<\/a>&#8221; aimed at unseating the Republicans who \u2062voted against him last fall. Gaetz&#8217;s win comes\u200c shortly after polls closed in Florida, reflecting a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-congratulates-trump-on-winning-gop-primary-after-haley-bows-out\/\" title=\"RNC applauds Trump&#039;s victory in GOP primary as Haley withdraws\">strong\u200b support base<\/a>. \u200cMcCarthy&#8217;s efforts to financially support \u200dchallengers against\u200b those he viewed as traitors to his leadership have\u2062 largely failed, with only one success \u2064in Virginia.\u200d The losses signal\u200c a significant setback for McCarthy, as seven other Republicans from \u200chis list\u200b either prevailed in their primaries or did \u2062not seek reelection.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Gaetz beats McCarthy-backed rival in biggest &lsquo;revenge tour&rsquo; setback<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1732421\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Firebrand Rep. <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/matt-gaetz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Matt Gaetz<\/a> (R-FL) easily defeated the GOP challenger for his Florida House seat on Tuesday, marking the latest and biggest loss for former Speaker <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kevin-mccarthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kevin McCarthy<\/a> in his so<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-gives-speaking-opportunities-to-mccarthys-opponents-at-rnc-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump gives speaking opportunities to McCarthy&#039;s opponents at RNC - Washington Examiner\">-called revenge tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Associated Press<\/em> called the race for Gaetz at 8:13 p.m., 13 minutes after the last of Florida&rsquo;s polls closed. Gaetz swept to victory with 69.7% over retired naval officer Aaron Dimmock&rsquo;s<strong> <\/strong>30.3%, with 36% of votes counted at the time the race was called.<\/p>\n<p>The contest between Dimmock and Gaetz represents a major setback for McCarthy, who helped funnel millions into unseating the eight House Republicans who voted to oust him as speaker last fall. His sole win has been in Virginia, where House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-VA)<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3106590\/bob-good-loses-recount-becomes-first-ousted-house-gop-incumbent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&nbsp;lost his primary and then a recount<\/a>&nbsp;to Republican John McGuire, a former Navy SEAL.<\/p>\n<p>The other seven Republicans either won their primaries, ran uncontested, or opted not to seek reelection this cycle.<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy&rsquo;s leadership PAC did not directly contribute to Dimmock&rsquo;s campaign. Instead, the Freedom Patriots PAC, which is connected to McCarthy allies, spent $3 million supporting Dimmock and attacking Gaetz over sex trafficking&nbsp;and illegal drug use allegations that he strongly denies.<\/p>\n<p>Gaetz, the ringleader who initiated the vote to remove McCarthy, was outspent nearly 4-to-1 in the primary race but still came out on top, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3125857\/gaetz-mccarthy-rivalry-florida-house-primary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>largely thanks to his household name<\/a> in northern Florida and the grassroots aversion to McCarthy among some primary voters.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>McCarthy allies reportedly anticipated Dimmock&rsquo;s loss ahead of the primary and instead said the goal was to hurt Gaetz&rsquo;s chances of running for governor. Gaetz has said he is not planning to seek the governor&rsquo;s mansion despite the speculation.<\/p>\n<p>Gaetz will face Gay Valimont, who ran uncontested in the Democratic primary, in November. The Florida lawmaker&rsquo;s 1st Congressional District seat is ranked &ldquo;solid Republican&rdquo; by the <em>Cook Political Report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1732421\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1732421\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) secured a decisive victory against his GOP opponent for his Florida House seat on Tuesday, representing a significant defeat for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in what has been termed his &#8220;revenge tour.&#8221; The Associated Press announced Gaetz&#8217;s win at 8:13 p.m., just 13 minutes after the last polls in Florida closed. Gaetz garnered 69.7% of the vote compared to retired naval officer Aaron Dimmock&#8217;s 30.3%, with 36% of votes counted when the race was called. This contest is a notable setback for McCarthy, who had invested millions to unseat eight House Republicans who voted to remove him as speaker last fall. His only success has been in Virginia, where House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) lost both his primary and a subsequent recount to Republican John McGuire, a former Navy SEAL. The other seven Republicans either won their primaries, ran unopposed, or chose not to seek reelection this cycle.<\/p>\n<p>While McCarthy\u2019s leadership PAC did not directly fund Dimmock\u2019s campaign, the Freedom Patriots PAC\u2014linked to McCarthy allies\u2014spent $3 million supporting Dimmock and attacking Gaetz over allegations of sex trafficking and drug use that Gaetz vehemently denies. Despite being outspent nearly four-to-one in the primary race, Gaetz triumphed largely due to his well-known status in northern Florida and grassroots opposition among some voters towards McCarthy.<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy&#8217;s allies reportedly expected Dimmock&#8217;s defeat ahead of the primary but aimed instead to undermine Gaetz\u2019s potential gubernatorial ambitions; however, Gaetz has stated he does not intend to run for governor despite speculation surrounding it. In November, he will face Gay Valimont, who ran uncontested in the Democratic primary. The Cook Political Report classifies Florida\u2019s 1st Congressional District seat as \u201csolid Republican.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2327926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/matt-gaetz-kevin-mccarthy-convention-1024x591.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32321,3624,3663,36457,38755],"class_list":["post-2327925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-election-results","tag-gaetz","tag-mccarthy","tag-political-rivalry","tag-revenge-tour"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/matt-gaetz-kevin-mccarthy-convention-1024x591.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2327925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2327925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2327925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2327926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2327925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2327925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2327925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}