Matt Gaetz’s Approval Rating in Florida a Disastrous 21% as He Mulls Gubernatorial Run

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is extraordinarily unpopular in his home state according to a new poll conducted by Florida Atlantic University that found that just 20.5% of voters approve and a whopping 56.9% of voters disapprove of Gaetz’s performance in Congress.

The survey of 946 adults has a margin of error of 3.2% and was conducted between October 27 and November 11. Even more disappointingly for Gaetz, he performs poorly with Republicans as well as Democrats and independents. Nearly as many members of his own party disapprove of Gaetz (36.3%) as approve (36.6%) of him, while independents disapprove by a margin of 53.8$-21.1%.

FAU Florida Poll:

Do you approve or disapprove of Rep. Matt Gaetz’s performance as a member of Congress?

Strongly approve 11.6%
Somewhat approve 8.9%
Somewhat disapprove 10.5%
Strongly disapprove 46.4%

Total Approve 20.5%
Total Disapprove 56.9%https://t.co/vpDOvn8Ztj pic.twitter.com/5Z9d16WFqO

— Aron Goldman (@ArgoJournal) November 21, 2023

The numbers rolled in about a month and a half after the firebrand joined with Democrats and 7 other Republicans to eject Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and plunge the House of Representatives into chaos for several weeks.

NBC News reported in September that Gaetz has been telling allies in the Sunshine State that he intends on running to succeed incumbent Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in 2026. But Gaetz told NBC that while “many did encourage me to consider running for governor one day,” his “only political focus right now is Trump 2024.”

Gaetz is an ally of former President Donald Trump — who won Florida in both 2016 and 2024 –and would likely count on a Trump endorsement to propel himself if he were to run for statewide office in spite of the widespread disdain for him.

The congressman’s father, Don Gaetz, is running for state senate again after previously having served as president of the body, further fueling speculation that his son would run for governor. But the elder Gaetz denied the rumors, insiting that “Matt’s not pursuing any run for governor.”