Matt Gaetz (Republican Party) was a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida's 1st Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2017. He left office on November 13, 2024.
Gaetz (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida's 1st Congressional District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Gaetz was born in 1982 in Hollywood, Florida. His father Don Gaetz (R) was a member of the Florida Senate.
Gaetz earned his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary sciences from Florida State University in 2003 and earned his juris doctorate from The College of William and Mary in 2007. After graduating, Gaetz worked as a lawyer for the law firm Keefe, Anchors, and Gordon.
In 2010, Gaetz won the special election to succeed former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom (R), who had resigned earlier in the year. Gaetz represented District 4 from 2010 to 2016.
During his tenure, Gaetz chaired hearings over Florida's stand-your-ground laws in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin shooting. Gaetz also sponsored the "Timely Justice Act", a bill which set deadlines for killers on death row to file for an appeal and was signed by Gov. Rick Scott (R).
Read moreGaetz was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016 for Florida's 1st Congressional District. During his tenure in Congress, Gaetz served as a member of the Budget Committee, the Armed Services Committee, and the Judiciary Committee.
According to Roll Call's Christina Flom, Gaetz "campaigned as an unapologetic conservative, saying in his campaign ads that he will fight against big government, cut taxes, and is '100 percent pro-life.'
Gaetz opposed the impeachments of Donald Trump (R) and said of the first one "This isn't about Ukraine. It's about power.
Donald Trump has it — and the Democrats want it. With no crime, no victim, no evidence, no proof, and no agenda for America, this impeachment charade has followed no rules, and adheres to no sense of honor." In 2023, Gaetz introduced a motion to oust Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R).
Gaetz said he introduced the measure because "Speaker McCarthy made an agreement with House conservatives in January. And, since then, he has been in brazen, repeated material breach of that agreement." The motion passed and the House removed McCarthy by a 216-210 vote.
To read more about McCarthy's ouster, click here. Donald Trump (R) announced on November 13, 2024, that he had selected Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general in his second presidential term.
Gaetz resigned from Congress that day. About a week later, on November 21, Gaetz withdrew himself from consideration for attorney general, saying, "I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday.
I appreciate their thoughtful feedback - and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.
There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General."
During his tenure in Congress, Gaetz served as a member of the Budget Committee, the Armed Services Committee, and the Judiciary Committee. Gaetz earned his B.S. in social science with concentrations in political science, history, and geography from Florida State University in 2003 and his J.D. from the College of William and Mary in 2007. His professional experience includes working as an attorney with the firm of Keefe, Anchors, Gordon, and Moyle in Fort Walton Beach.
