Matt Gaetz Biography
Matt Gaetz (Matthew Louis Gaetz II) is an American lawyer and Republican politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 1st congressional district since 2017.
Gaetz represented Florida’s 4th House district in the Florida House of Representatives, which covers most of Okaloosa County from 2010 to 2016. He was elected to the U.S. House in 2016, representing Florida’s 1st District, and later reelected by large margins in 2018 and 2020.
His district surrounds a large portion of the western Florida Panhandle, such as Pensacola, Destin, Navarre, and his hometown, Fort Walton Beach. In the House, he was mostly known as a strong ally and supporter of President Donald Trump.
Matt Gaetz Age
Gaetz was born on May 7, 1982, in Florida U.S. He is 38 years old as of 2020.
Matt Gaetz Height
Gaetz stands at a height of 1.70m.
Matt Gaetz Family
Gaetz is the son of Victoria Quertermous and Don Gaetz, a prominent local politician. His father represented parts of Northwest Florida as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016 and from 2012 to 2014, he was Senate President.
Stanley Jerome (Jerry) Gaetz, Gaetz’s grandfather, was the mayor of Rugby, North Dakota, and stood for lieutenant governor of North Dakota at the North Dakota Republican Party state convention in 1964, where he died of a heart attack.
Matt Gaetz Girlfriend
Gaetz is engaged to his girlfriend Ginger Luckey. Luckey is the sister of Palmer Luckey, Oculus VR founder, and major Republican donor.
Matt Gaetz Education
Gaetz studied at Florida State University and later graduated from William & Mary Law School. After graduating he worked at the law firm Keefe, Anchors & Gordon in Fort Walton Beach.
Matt Gaetz Career
In March 2010, Gaetz ran in the special election against Sansom in the 4th district, including southern Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County. He defeated Democratic nominee Jan Fernald with 66% of the votes in the special general elections.
Gaetz announced in 2013 that he would run for the 1st District state senate seat currently occupied by his father, Don Gaetz, who would be term-limited out in 2016. He dropped out of the race on March 21, 2016, opting instead to run for the US House seat serving Florida’s 1st congressional district; the incumbent, Jeff Miller, had declared 11 days prior that he would not seek reelection.
Gaetz defeated Greg Evers (21.5 percent), Cris Dosev (20.6 percent), and five other candidates in the Republican primary on August 30, 2016, with 35.7 percent of the vote. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+22, the 1st is Florida’s most Republican district and one of the most Republican in the nation, effectively guaranteeing Gaetz’s victory in the general election.
Gaetz received 69 percent of the vote in the general election on November 8, defeating Democratic nominee Steven Specht. Since 1933, he is only the seventh person to serve this district.
Gaetz was “seriously considering not seeking re-election and probably leaving Congress early for a position at Newsmax,” according to Axios on March 30, 2021. This report was released just hours before it was revealed that Gaetz was under investigation for a relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
Matt Gaetz Net Worth
Gaetz has an estimated net worth of $40 million.