GOP primary vote on the horizon, 10 candidates are in the race to replace Matt Gaetz as Florida's District 1 congressman.

Gaetz has long been considered a top contender for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2026, when incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited.

House members applauded an official announcement on Friday that former Republican Representative Matt Gaetz will not return to Congress this term. Newsweek reached out to One America News Network, which airs The Matt Gaetz Show, for comment from Gaetz via email on Friday.

Matt Gaetz, former Florida congressman and short-lived nominee for attorney general, told multiple outlets that he is considering a bid for Florida governor. His comments come weeks after the House Ethics Committee released a bombshell report claiming he paid for sex with a 17-year-old.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody have each been rumored to be considering a run for the Republican nomination. (Moody is also widely seen as the top candidate to be DeSantis’ choice to succeed Marco Rubio in the Senate.)

The event, featuring 10 candidates vying to replace former Congressman Matt Gaetz, provided a platform for voters to hear candidates’ plans and priorities ahead of the Jan. 28 Republican primary.

Gaetz announced he was resigning his seat in November after President-elect Donald Trump picked him to be his attorney general. However, allegations of sexual misconduct dogged Gaetz’s nomination, and he ultimately withdrew his name from consideration.

President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department, turning to a longtime ally after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, wit

I have a compelling vision for the state,” Gaetz said. “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 pro-consumer candidate on the Republican side.

Will the Senate GOP confirm controversial picks like Pete Hegseth and RFK Jr.? Here’s this week’s full Senate confirmation hearing schedule.

Undaunted, the weekend before Christmas, Trump throws a fresh stunner into the headlines. He declares he wants the US to retake the Panama Canal, which President Jimmy Carter put under the control of Panama in a 1977 deal that guaranteed neutral, international access to the waterway.

Gabbard supported Trump in the 2024 election, thereby displaying the most important asset in Trump's evaluations of would-be advisers: loyalty. It's unclear if Republican senators will fall in line with the MAGA makeover of the Cabinet, though no GOP lawmaker has shared their intention to vote against Gabbard's confirmation.