Gaetz announced he was resigning his seat in November after President-elect Donald Trump picked him to be his attorney general. However, allegations of sexual misconduct dogged Gaetz’s nomination, and he ultimately withdrew his name from consideration.

Gaetz has long been considered a top contender for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2026, when incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited.

UCF Political Science Lecturer John Hanley joined FOX 35's Garrett Wymer on Florida Live to break down former Congressman Matt Gaetz reportedly telling the Tampa Bay Times he would consider running for Florida Governor to replace Ron DeSantis in 2026,

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he is "reviewing the opportunity" of possibly mounting a gubernatorial bid. The former House lawmaker noted that if he ultimately decides to throw his hat into the ring, he would need to engage in "active steps toward a run" toward the end of 2025.

Former MAGA congressman, Donald Trump’s first choice for US attorney general, now considering run to succeed term-limited Ron DeSantis in 2026

House members applauded an official announcement on Friday that former Republican Representative Matt Gaetz will not return to Congress this term. Newsweek reached out to One America News Network, which airs The Matt Gaetz Show, for comment from Gaetz via email on Friday.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody have each been rumored to be considering a run for the Republican nomination. (Moody is also widely seen as the top candidate to be DeSantis’ choice to succeed Marco Rubio in the Senate.)

The former congressman was the focus of a House Ethics panel report accusing him of “regularly” paying for sex and using drugs, which helped doom his short-lived nomination for attorney general.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday named state Attorney General Ashley Moody to the US Senate, choosing a staunch ally to fill the seat set to be vacated by Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state.

In addition to Gaetz, other potential Republican contenders for the 2026 gubernatorial race include Congressman Byron Donalds. Florida Politics reported this week that Donalds has hired President-elect Donald Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio, although Donalds has yet to make any official announcement regarding his candidacy.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit accusing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of failing to fulfill his constitutional obligation to call special elections for two seats in the state House and Senate.

The four years between Donald Trump’s first term in office and his second were marked by an extraordinary political shift in Florida. In January 2021, President Joe Biden entered the White House with Florida ostensibly still on the map of battleground states.