Matt Gaetz may be out of Washington, but his political ambitions are not yet over.
The former Florida congressman, who faced a federal investigation and congressional ethics probe before resigning from Congress in November, told The Tampa Bay Times that he’s “starting to think about running for governor” of Florida in 2026, according to an interview published Tuesday.
“I have a compelling vision for the state,” he told the outlet. “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.”
Gaetz said he needs more time for prayer and discussion with his wife before deciding on a run. As of this month, he hosts “The Matt Gaetz Show,” a program on the conservative One America News Network.
The political talk show’s debut came days after the House Ethics Committee publicly released a report saying it found evidence that Gaetz bought illegal drugs, paid multiple women for sex and had sex with a 17-year-old girl, all while he was serving in Congress.
The committee found “substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” according to its report.
The U.S. Justice Department had previously launched a sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz, but it ultimately declined to press charges against him in 2023.
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Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He resigned from Congress in the fall of last year, when incoming President Donald Trumpsaid he’d nominate Gaetz to be the next U.S. attorney general. Gaetz pulled his name from consideration for that role less than two weeks later, however, amid pushback from fellow Republicans about his selection.