Republican firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz easily defended his seat in Florida’s 1st Congressional District despite accusations of being involved in sex trafficking.
Gaetz defeated his primary challenger Mark Lombardo by more than 40 points, securing 66.3% of the vote in the conservative northwest Florida district to Lombardo’s 23.6%, with 89% of ballots counted. In winning his primary, Gaetz has all but guaranteed his fourth term in Congress.
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Gaetz is a close ally of former President Donald Trump and received his endorsement, which undoubtedly contributed to his success in a district that Trump carried by 33 percentage points in 2020. Lombardo also campaigned on Trump-style “America First” policies and even insinuated that Gaetz was the FBI informant who triggered the raid on Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s residence.
Throughout his third term in office, Gaetz was dogged by accusations that he was involved in the sex trafficking of a minor. There is a federal investigation open into claims that Gaetz solicited women for sex over the internet and allegedly paid a minor whom he had sexual relations with to travel with him, but he has not been charged and denies the allegations. Lombardo’s attack ads made note of this scandal.
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“We know Washington is broken — an absolute mess and utter disgrace,” Lombardo’s campaign website says. “Part of the reason it’s so dysfunctional is because it’s filled with professional politicians — people who put themselves and their interests ahead of YOUR interests. Your Representative should meet the highest standards of performance and personal conduct. Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi have FAILED to meet the standards necessary — and so has Matt Gaetz.”
Gaetz was first elected in 2016 and is an outspoken member of the right wing of the Republican Party.
