'End of an era': What's next for Matt Gaetz?

A week ago, Matt Gaetz was on his way to becoming Donald Trump’s avenging angel as U.S. Attorney General, the nation’s top law enforcement official.

But now that the former Florida congressman has withdrawn his nomination amid persistent questions about his involvement in a sex scandal involving a 17-year-old girl, his political prospects are not so clear put.

“His future is not as bright as it once was,” said Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida. “I don’t mean to imply this is the end of his political career, or lobbying career, because he still has the ear of the president-elect.”

Gaetz’s fall has left him politically adrift and battered by allegations of drug-fueled sex parties. One option — considered a remote possibility — would be to try to reclaim the North Florida congressional seat he resigned from on Nov. 13, a move that effectively shut down the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations.

In his resignation notice, Gaetz said he was stepping down from his current term to pursue the Attorney General nomination and didn’t “intend to take the oath” for the upcoming term he was reelected to on Nov. 5. Technically, Gaetz could show up when Congress reconvenes on Jan. 3 to be sworn into that new term, said Michael T. Morley, a professor of election law at Florida State University College of Law.

Ultimately, the House would decide whether Gaetz could change his mind and keep his seat, Morley said.

Mark Herron, a Tallahassee lawyer specializing in state and federal election and ethics laws, agreed that Gaetz has wiggle room on his future in Congress.

“I don’t think anything is real until Jan. 3,” he said.

The Constitution requires that House vacancies be filled by a special election, and state governors are responsible for scheduling those special elections. Gov. Ron DeSantis has already ordered Secretary of State Cord Byrd to schedule a special election for Gaetz’s district seat but no date has been set as of Thursday.

GOP state Reps. Joel Rudman and Michelle Salzman announced they would run for the opening, but they signaled Thursday they would step aside if Gaetz needs to run to get his old job back. Gaetz easily won reelection in November with 66% of the vote in the solidly red North Florida district.

Salzman called Gaetz a “real friend” and said she “will stand with the congressman and whatever he decides.” In a post on X, Rudman wrote he will support Gaetz “100%” if he wants to return to Congress.

Politically, though, it might not make sense for Gaetz to return to Congress, which would resurrect a House ethics report said to contain damaging testimony against him, Morley said. His colleagues could vote to censure or expel him based on the report’s findings.

One of Florida’s U.S. Senate seats likely will be open as Trump has tapped Sen. Marco Rubio to be his Secretary of State.

But it seems unlikely that DeSantis would appoint Gaetz to take Rubio’s Senate seat, Jewett said, especially if DeSantis wants to stay in Trump’s good graces by appointing his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as many MAGA supporters want.

Gaetz can also expect other high profile political candidates to run for Rubio’s senate seat when a special election is held in 2026, he added. “They would have no compunction going after him and the baggage he brings.”

Gaetz has been mentioned as a possible GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2026, when DeSantis leaves office.

But U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is Trump’s most likely choice for governor in 2026, said state Sen. Joe Gruters, a Trump backer and former chair of the Republican Party of Florida, and the president’s endorsement could effectively end the race.

“It’s a primary of one,” Gruters previously told The Orlando Sentinel.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied accusations that he paid for sex, had sex with a 17-year-old girl and used illicit drugs. The U.S. Department of Justice investigated those allegations for several years but did not file charges.

But House ethics investigators continued with a separate investigation and were preparing to release their findings when Gaetz resigned.

Two women who testified to the committee behind closed doors said Gaetz paid them for sex, and one of the women testified she witnessed Gaetz having sex with her 17-year-old friend at a July 2017 Orlando-area house party, their attorney Joel Leppard said.

The ethics panel had a paper trail linking Gaetz to more than $10,000 in Venmo payments made to two women who were witnesses in the probe, ABC News reported.

Although his political brand his tarnished, Gaetz continues to hold favor with Trump, and “he could still get a soft landing somewhere,” Jewett said.

In his statement, Gaetz didn’t describe his future plans — only that he will “remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history.”

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that Gaetz has a “wonderful future.”

Gaetz’s wife, Ginger, posted a photo on social media of the couple walking up the Capitol steps after news broke that he had withdrawn.

“The end of an era,” she wrote.

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