'Revenge tour': Why Tuesday was a huge disappointment for Kevin McCarthy

On Tuesday night, August 20, cable news was dominated by coverage of the second night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. But there was other political news as well that night, including far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) landslide victory in a GOP congressional primary.

In Florida's 1st Congressional District, the far-right MAGA congressman defeated primary challenger Aaron Dimmock, a retired naval officer, by 45 percent. Now, in the general election, Gaetz will go up against Democrat Gay Valimont, who was uncontested.

Gaetz's victory over Dimmock is a major disappointment for a very vocal nemesis: former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California), who still resents Gaetz deeply for triggering a "motion to vacate" that resulted in McCarthy being ousted from that position in 2023.

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The Hill's Julia Mueller describes Gaetz's victory as the latest disappointment in McCarthy's "revenge tour" against House Republicans who voted to oust him.

"Dimmock told The Hill ahead of the primary that he's never spoken to the ex-speaker," Mueller reports in an August 21 article. "But he ran on Tuesday with McCarthy's backing and more than $3 million in support from a super PAC with ties to some in McCarthy's orbit."

Mueller notes that Gaetz's victory follows the disappointment McCarthy suffered in South Carolina when Rep. Nancy Mace — another Republican who voted to oust him — also survived a primary challenge.

Mueller points out that because Gaetz's district in the Florida Panhandle "has long been a Republican stronghold," he will have an advantage over Valimont in the general election and is "now well-positioned to retake his seat in November."

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