Donald Trump is endorsing Jimmy Patronis to replace Matt Gaetz

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday approved Florida 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 considering a bid for the political post, has been a staunch Trump loyalist and previously supported legislation to allocate up to $5 million in Florida taxpayer dollars to support the president-elect’s 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 The truth Social.

“As your next member of Congress, Jimmy would work tirelessly with me to grow our economy, secure our border, stop migrant crime, strengthen our incredible military/vets, restore American energy dominance, and defend our always-beleaguered Second Amendment,” the president said. – the chosen one said.

Republican Gaetz, 42, had held Florida’s 1st Congressional District seat since 2017 until he resigned earlier this month when Trump, 78, announced him as his pick for attorney general.

Gaetz ended up dropping out of the race for AG when it became clear that Senate confirmation would be an uphill battle as he battled a sex scandal. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The former representative then told conservative pundit Charlie Kirk that he does not “intend to attend the 119th Congress” in his former seat.

For now, Gaetz has chosen to cash in on his political fame and open 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 on Jan. 28 and a general election for it on April 1.

Other figures such as Republican 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 end of former Gov. Rick Scott’s and current DeSantis’ tenures.

Florida’s state treasurer role serves as a mix of treasurer, insurance commissioner, fire marshal and comptroller. Patronis is tasked with overseeing the payment of government 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 the attorney general.

Last year, Patronis pushed for state legislation for a “Freedom Fighters Fund” to allocate as much as $5 million to “Florida residents running for president who face legal, partisan, political attacks by the Justice Department or state attorneys general.” That would include Trump, who at one point faced 91 counts in four criminal cases.

“It is in Florida’s best interest to ensure that their champion for president is allowed a fair shot at the White House without being brought down by a bogus witch hunt,” Patronis said at the time. according to the Washington Post.

Ultimately, DeSantis, 46, slowed down.

Patronis has publicly teased that he is considering whether to throw his hat in the ring to replace Gaetz in the Republican stronghold of the Panhandle district.

“I am strongly considering running for Florida Congressional District 1. We have a historic opportunity to fight the swamp, end the legislation and put power back in the hands of Americans,” he wrote on X last week.

Meanwhile, Trump has selected Republican Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his choice to lead the Justice Department.