Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said in a new interview that he’s “starting to think about” running for governor of Florida in 2026.
In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, the former congressman-turned-television host said his chief concern would be handling the insurance crisis.
“I have a compelling vision for the state,” Gaetz said in the interview. “I understand how to fix the insurance problem, and it’s not to hand the keys to the state over to the insurance industry.”
“If I run, I would be the most proconsumer candidate on the Republican side,” he added.
Gaetz told the Tampa Bay Times he needs more time to pray about his decision and discuss the matter with his wife.
The interview comes after Gaetz resigned from Congress shortly after being tapped to serve as President-elect Trump’s attorney general. Amid concerns about an ethics probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, Gaetz withdrew from consideration.
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Despite his resignation from Congress, the House Ethics Committee released a report on the panel’s roughly three-and-a-half-year investigation into the firebrand Florida Republican.
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The report found “substantial evidence” that Gaetz violated House rules, and state and federal laws, outlining allegations of prostitution, statutory rape and illicit drug use, among other accusations. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.
Gaetz told the Tampa Bay Times that he does not view the report’s findings as an impediment to running for public office again.
“Those lies have been told about me for years,” he said to the Florida news outlet. “They’ve never affected my ability to win elections.”
