President-elect Donald Trump on Monday endorsed Florida’s chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis, to fill the congressional seat vacated by ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz, even before the CFO has officially announced his run.
Patronis, 52, who has said he is mulling a bid for the political post, has been a staunch Trump loyalist and previously backed legislation to allocate up to $5 million in Florida taxpayer dollars to support the president-elect’s legal bills.
“A fourth generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle, and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“As your next Congressman, Jimmy would work tirelessly alongside of me to Grow our Economy, Secure our Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Incredible Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” the president-elect said.
The Republican Gaetz, 42, had held Florida’s 1st Congressional District seat since 2017, till he resigned earlier this month when Trump, 78, announced him as his pick to be attorney general.
Gaetz ended up dropping out of contention for AG when it became clear that getting Senate confirmation for him would be an uphill fight as he battled a sex scandal. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The former rep then told conservative pundit Charlie Kirk that he does not “intend to join the 119th Congress” in his former seat.
For now, Gaetz has opted to cash in on his political fame and open up a profile on Cameo, a platform where celebrities offer to cut personal videos for people for a price.
Last week, Sunshine State Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that a primary race for Gaetz’s seat will take place Jan. 28 and a general election for it April 1.
Other people such as Republicans Nathan Nelson, former Green Beret and Army Capt. John Frankman, state Rep. Michelle Salzman, Keith Gross have already expressed interest in the seat.
Patronis has served as Florida’s CFO since 2017, spanning the tail-end of former Gov. Rick Scott’s and current DeSantis’ tenures.
Florida’s state CFO role functions as a mix of treasurer, insurance commissioner, fire marshal and comptroller. Patronis is tasked with overseeing the payment of state bills, auditing government agencies and more.
He serves in the governor’s cabinet and is third in the line of succession to be governor after the lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Last year, Patronis pushed for state legislation for a “Freedom Fighters Fund” to allocate as much as $5 million for “Florida residents running for President who face legal, partisan, political attacks by the Department of Justice or State Attorneys.” That would include Trump, who at one point faced 91 counts in four criminal cases.
“It’s in Florida’s best interest to make sure their champion for the President is allowed a fair shot at the White House without being taken down by some fake witch hunt,” Patronis said at the time, according to the Washington Post.
Ultimately, DeSantis, 46, swatted down the move.
Patronis has publicly teased that he is mulling whether to throw his hat into the ring to replace Gaetz in the Republican stronghold Panhandle district.
“I am strongly considering running for Florida Congressional District 1. We’ve got an historic opportunity to fight the swamp, end lawfare and return power back into the hands of Americans,” he wrote on X last week.
Meanwhile, Trump has tapped Republican Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his pick to helm the Justice Department.
