Who is Aaron Dimmock? Matt Gaetz's Republican Primary Challenger

GOP Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has drawn a last-minute Republican primary challenger in his bid for reelection.

Aaron Dimmock, a former naval aviator, filed Friday to run against Gaetz in the GOP primary for Florida's 1st Congressional District. Gaetz, who has represented the district since 2017, is a conservative firebrand known to be among former President Donald Trump's staunchest allies in Congress.

Gaetz had been expected by some to announce his candidacy for the governor's office given his national profile, but the congressman shut down those rumors in the fall, saying in October that he was "exactly where I'm supposed to be." The MAGA star made headlines after he led the ousting of former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which was seen as a culmination of a yearslong feud between the two.

Dimmock, who is the only Republican to challenge Gaetz in the state's August 20 primary, shares a treasurer with McCarthy-aligned American Patriots PAC.

Dimmock's LinkedIn page shows that he recently served as the director of the Missouri Leadership Academy in Missouri. Dimmock is currently the director for leadership programs at the University of West Florida's Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership.

Dimmock filed paperwork for his candidacy hours before Friday's noon deadline. Gun reform advocate Gay Valimont is running unopposed in the Democratic primaries and will head directly into the general election in November. Valimont is a state leader for the gun safety group Moms Demand Action.

Gaetz has already attacked Dimmock over X, criticizing his new opponent for previously supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and diversity initiatives. In 2020, he shared a Chapman & Co. post on LinkedIn that said "#blacklivesmatter," adding his own comments, "We remain committed to making it better."

"I'm excited to welcome Missouri-based DEI instructor Aaron Dimmock to the campaign," Gaetz told Newsweek in a statement. "Aaron is not in Kansas City anymore. This is Trump Country. Our pronouns are USA and MAGA."

He continued, "I'm a proud Trump Republican. I stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump to defeat Joe Biden, secure our border, restore our economy, and support our veterans. I'll never stop fighting for President Trump or for the people of the First Congressional District."

The district is solidly Republican. It has a "solid Republican" score from the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which ranks it as R+19.

Gaetz has fended off other GOP challengers in the past, included a well-funded campaign run by former FedEx executive Mark Lombardo in 2022. Gaetz won that race by a more than 45-point margin.