Kevin McCarthy vows he’ll stop Matt Gaetz from running for governor in Florida

Ex-speaker celebrates revenge tour victory over House Freedom Caucus chair and vows revenge against Matt Gaetz

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy celebrated a recent victory against one of the Republicans who ousted him and vowed to keep Matt Gaetz out of the Florida governor’s mansion on Tuesday at a fiery RNC press conference.

McCarthy spoke to outlets at a briefing held by the Foreign Press Center at the Republican National Convention (RNC) and took a question from The Independent regarding his recent flexing of political muscle in the primary against Rep Bob Good, chair of the House Freedom Caucus, in Virginia. Jokingly correcting the question, he lauded the defeat of Good as a “big victory” in his campaign to rid the House of the eight Republicans who stood against him.

“If you have a Bob Good who wants chaos? You're wasting a majority. And if I have a John McGuire, a Navy SEAL who understands how to be a conservative?” McCarthy asked, implying the choice was obvious.

Then, he launched into a scathing tirade against Gaetz — one which echoed his claim that Gaetz paid for sex with an underage girl, a claim which Gaetz strongly denies. The Florida congressman was investigated by the Justice Department over the matter, which declined to bring charges.

Kevin McCarthy, former House speaker, holds a press briefing on Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. (John Bowden)

“His name's Matt Gaetz. He didn't do it because he dislikes me, but he did it because he has an Ethics complaint because he paid to sleep with an underage girl. And he wanted me to stop the Ethics [committee],” said McCarthy.

In January of 2023, Gaetz attempted to block McCarthy’s bid to become speaker. In October, Gaetz filed a motion to vacate that triggered a no-confidence vote wherein Gaetz, Good and six other Republicans joined with every Democrat present to oust McCarthy. McCarthy has claimed that Gaetz filed the motion in retailiation for his refusal to halt the Ethics Commitee probe into Gaetz.

“Within a party...if you have someone that pays to sleep with underage girls, that's not a great reflection on the party,” said the former speaker.

Asked directly by The Independent whether he would “stop Gaetz” and end the Florida congressman’s political career, McCarthy said it would be tough to beat Gaetz in his district, before issuing a clear warning: “I don't think he'll ever be able to run for governor like he wants to.”

Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz appears on day 2 of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 16 2024. (Getty Images)

Gaetz is facing one Republican challenger in his primary election next month, Navy veteran Aaron Dimmock. He is heavily favored to win against Dimmock, who entered the race only a few months ago and does not have anywhere near the kind of support which Good’s primary challenger John McGuire received from not just McCarthy but also former President Donald Trump.

The former speaker’s revenge tour also led to him investing in primary challenges against Nancy Mace, a congresswoman from South Carolina. Mace easily defeated her McCarthy-backed opponent in June.

McCarthy, meanwhile, left the House of Representatives at the end of 2023, less than a year after he was elected speaker, in a move that left the House GOP majority in the single digits.