The sharp-tongued Gaetz has been the antihero of Republicans’ fevered spell running the House, engineering the ouster of Kevin McCarthy as House speaker last year. He remains a leading voice of the party’s conservative populist wing, unabashedly pro-Donald Trump while a hard-liner on the budget and foreign aid, regularly aggravating colleagues, some of whom see him as a grandstander who undercuts Republicans’ efforts to govern.
Gaetz wields a heady amount of influence for a lawmaker who isn’t in leadership or helming a major committee. Though some of his colleagues groaned when asked about him, he has become a leader in the fight over the GOP’s future and says he is only getting started.
Gaetz has fought his battles both in Washington and across the country. He has jumped into 2024 primary races to try to mold the next class of conservatives and is working to defend the seven Republicans who joined him in toppling the speaker and others facing tough races. He faces his own primary challenge as well, while also being investigated by the House Ethics Committee.