Results of Florida’s primary election showed that Rep. Matt Gaetz, the incumbent in Congress District 1, won by a landslide. Not only did Gaetz beat his opponent, Mark Lombardo, handsomely by over 45 points, but Gaetz also got more votes in his race than the total number of votes cast for all the candidates in the Democratic primary combined.
A political commercial by his opponent claimed that Gaetz was the FBI informant within former President Donald Trump’s inner circle, which is responsible for the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago search. Trump gave his late endorsement of Gaetz to signal to voters that the informant claim against Gaetz wasn’t based on factual basis. Trump has added another level to his political power, after sweeping Gaetz’s primary competitor.
All Dem primaries received fewer votes together than Gaetz.
— Damin Toell – this is my notice of appearance (@damintoell) August 24, 2022
Gaetz now faces Rebekah, Democrat challenger in the general election. Jones’ candidacy was declared valid in the 11th hour, on the day of the primary, allowing her votes to be counted. Jones’ failure to meet the requirements of state law requiring that candidates be registered for one year with their preferred party before they can declare candidacy led to a legal battle.
Jones was best known as someone who challenged Governor Ron DeSantis on coronavirus reporting. He posed as a whistleblower within the Florida Department of Health. The FDOH Office of the Inspector General released a report showing that Jones claims had been disproved and that all of the accused were exonerated.
She also attacked Christina Pushaw who is now DeSantis’s spokesperson after Pushaw published an article in Human Events calling Jones’ claims false. Jones claimed that Pushaw didxxed and stalked Pushaw, so she launched a harassment campaign using her legal system as a weapon .
The Gaetz family also has some good news. Today, Stephen Alford, who was convicted of wire fraud in a plot attempting to extort Gaetz’s father, was sentenced to 5 years active time followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers.
Gaetz, reacting to his win, declared this election the “sweetest of all elections” he had ever won. He said:
“To get almost 70 percent of the vote, I think really tells me a lot about the connection I have with the voters of Northwest Florida. To be nominated by my party is a tremendous honor and Im very grateful to the tens of thousand of people who came out and voted for me this election.”
When Gaetz was asked about his approach to critics, he said, “Well I don’t work with them.” I am a worker for Northwest Florida .”
