Hours after Trump endorses him, Jimmy Patronis resigns to run for Gaetz’s House seat

Florida Chief Financial Official Jimmy Patronis resigned on Monday and announced that he would run in the special election to succeed former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz after President-elect Donald Trump urged him to launch a bid for Congress.

In a letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Secretary of State Cord Byrd, Patronis said that he would step down as state CFO “effective March 31, 2025,” just a day before the special election in Florida’s 1st Congressional District.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as Florida’s CFO for nearly eight years,” Patronis wrote. He had previously said that he was “strongly considering” a run for Florida’s 1st Congressional District, which covers the western-most portion of the state’s Panhandle.

Patronis’ resignation came just a few hours after Trump preemptively endorsed him for the House seat, which has been represented by Gaetz since 2017. Gaetz resigned from Congress earlier this month after Trump named him as his choice for U.S. attorney general.

Gaetz then withdrew from consideration for the attorney general job last week as he faced increasing scrutiny over years-old allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.

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The former congressman, who was just reelected in this month’s elections, has said that he will not return to Congress next year.

READ MORE: Gaetz says he will not be returning to Congress after dropping attorney general bid

While a handful of Republicans have already jumped into the race to succeed Gaetz in Congress, Trump’s decision to endorse Patronis — who hadn’t even announced a campaign for the seat when Trump weighed in — gives the outgoing Florida CFO a huge leg up.

Florida’s 1st Congressional District is among the most conservative in the state, and Trump’s support is likely to go a long way in the special election to replace Gaetz. Shortly after Trump weighed in on the race, state Rep. Michelle Salzman, who announced a bid for the House seat last week, also threw her support behind Patronis.

“Politics is an ever-changing chessboard. Our first priority as elected officials should be our constituents. If we put them first, we all win!” Salzman wrote on X. “Jimmy has been endorsed by the leader of our party and that should be enough for us to get behind him. Congratulations @JimmyPatronis.”

Patronis’ resignation will give DeSantis a chance to appoint a replacement CFO before the next regularly scheduled election in 2026.

In addition to Patronis, Trump is also urging state Sen. Randy Fine to run in the special election to succeed U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz in Florida’s 6th Congressional District. Waltz has been tapped to serve as Trump’s national security adviser.

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