Matt Gaetz Wins Re-election in Florida's District 1 Amid Controversy and Focus on Immigration Policy

Rep. Matt Gaetz, a staunch Republican ally of President-elect Donald Trump, has secured re-election to represent Florida's 1st Congressional District. With 95% of precincts reporting, Gaetz garnered 273,762 votes, 66.0% of the support, defeating Democratic challenger Gay Valimont, who received 140,716 votes, 34.0%.

Gaetz celebrated his victory Tuesday night at Mar-a-Lago, with Trump by his side. This marks the lawmaker's fifth term in Congress after previously beating Republican challenger Aaron Dimmock in the August primary.

Gaetz did not actively campaign much in the district considering his sizable advantage. He did focus on pushing his agenda both at the local and national level.

In early October he introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives the "Blocking Assistance and Resources to Restrict Illegal Entry and Residency Act of 2024," also known as the BARRIER Act, which aims to restrict federal financial assistance to organizations and groups that, in his words, "help migrants illegally enter the U.S. or give assistance to migrants unlawfully residing here."

In November he pushed for another reform on non-profits, with the aim to terminate the tax-exempt status of some of these organizations. In what he calls the "Helping Americans by Restricting Resources to Immigrant Services" Act, or HARRIS Act, the new bill would strip tax-exempt status from organizations "aiding and abetting the U.S. border invasion," Gaetz said in a statement.

Gaetz said that if non-profits want to receive "special treatment" under the U.S.'s tax code, "they should focus on doing genuine charity for genuine Americans, not illegal aliens."

Since Early Hutto, who served as the district's representative for almost two decades, retired in 1995, no Democratic candidate has been elected to represent Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties in the House of Representatives.