Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) recent success in leading the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has catapulted him further into the national spotlight, but the path ahead is fraught with challenges as voters in Florida appear to be scaling back their support.
Gaetz’s journey from Florida state politics to a powerful force in the House has been marked by both victories and controversies, with the congressman known as an outspoken conservative firebrand. His 1st Congressional District in Florida's panhandle is one of the most red in the state, easily winning his reelection bids since being elected in 2016.
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This year, Gaetz launched his most controversial and consequential move yet, introducing the motion to vacate that ended in the House stripping McCarthy of his post in a 216-210 vote, marking the first time ever that a speaker was fired from the job.
Gaetz and the group of Republicans who joined House Democrats in voting to remove McCarthy on Oct. 3 have praised new House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) despite weeks of struggling to unite the party in backing a new leader. However, recent poll numbers show Gaetz's constituents might not be too satisfied with him.
A poll from the Florida Atlantic University Mainstreet PolCom Lab released last week shows 57% of Florida voters disapprove of his job performance as a member of Congress, while only 21% of voters approve. While it’s no surprise that 82.9% of Democrats disapprove of the conservative congressman, Republican support is split, raising alarms for Gaetz’s reelection and possible future aspirations to a higher office: 36.3% of Republicans disapprove of him, and 36.6% of Republicans approve.
After Gaetz and seven other Republicans removed McCarthy, the House erupted in chaos for weeks as the GOP conference couldn't unify around a new leader. The first nominee, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), failed to gather enough support and dropped out. The second, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), fell short of securing a majority of the votes in a third round of balloting. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) lost his status as the party's speaker-designate after pushback from Republican members and former President Donald Trump.
Some members from Gaetz's own party called for him to be expelled from the Republican conference immediately after the vote, including Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Rep. David Joyce (R-OH).
“It was disgraceful and violated House Republican conference rules. That required a majority of a majority to remove a House speaker and file that motion to vacate, and they didn’t adhere to that, and it was wrong,” Lawler told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an appearance on The Situation Room.
Joining the belief that Gaetz will be expelled from Congress is McCarthy himself, who said on Sunday that he could face the same expulsion threat that Rep. George Santos (R-NY) faced once the House Ethics Committee released its report.
“We're gonna have to come together,” McCarthy said Nov. 17 on Fox News's Sunday Morning Futures. “We do know this is really driven … [by] Matt Gaetz’s ethics complaint. I think once that ethics complaint comes forward, he could have the same problem that Santos has. I think the conference would be probably better united to be able to move forward and get this all done.”
Gaetz has been under review by the House Ethics Committee, focused on allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, misusing campaign funds and state identification records, and other allegations. That investigation was paused due to a related 2020 investigation into allegations that Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old. The Department of Justice dropped the investigation earlier this year, declining to bring charges against him, citing they could not make a strong enough case.
Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in both cases. Last week, Gaetz called for a House Ethics investigation into McCarthy over an altercation with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), who claimed McCarthy "sucker-punched" him in the kidney, which McCarthy denied.
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Tensions between Gaetz and McCarthy have only risen since the Florida congressman withheld his vote in all 15 ballots as McCarthy fought to win the speaker's gavel in January. Gaetz voted for anyone but McCarthy, casting his ballot for former President Donald Trump and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), finally voting present along with other detractors in the last round.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Gaetz for comment.