Aaron Dimmock, a Republican Primary challenger to Matt Gaetz, has now formally announced his candidacy and launched a campaign website.
An official site can now be seen at AaronDimmock.org. The site AaronDimmock.com was taken — by Gaetz's team.
On Dimmock's site, the retired Naval Officer presents his professional and personal biography, along with a picture of himself with wife Kim and their four children.
"I am incredibly excited about our journey ahead! Please feel free to share as you deem appropriate and thank you tremendously for your support as Kim, our family, and I move through this campaign to help our citizens of Florida's U.S. House 1st District!" Dimmock posted on a new campaign LinkedIn page.
"Following his career in the Navy, Aaron took his skills to a new career as a leadership and character development facilitator and consultant," the website reads. "In this role, Aaron has helped develop leaders everywhere, including universities in Florida, Ford Motor Company, NFL and NBA teams, The Pat Tillman Foundation and many others."
Dimmock on May 13 set up a Facebook page for his campaign, which so far only includes a photo of him in a Naval uniform.
He also launched an official political X account at @DimmockForFL. The first message from his campaign social media was posted the next day: a statement endorsing former President Donald Trump.
"Today I am proud that one of my first official acts as a congressional candidate is to endorse Donald J. Trump for President," he posted.
"With President Trump back in the White House and an effective and conservative Congress, we will begin to reverse the damage and disgraces of the (Joe) Biden Administration and once again put the American people first. I'll work with President Trump to protect life, defend the 2nd amendment and build the wall."
Of course, the real competition for Dimmock isn't in the November General Election where the presidency will be decided. He will face Gaetz, a four-term incumbent, in an Aug. 20 Republican Primary.
A relatively unknown candidate taking on an entrenched incumbent has drawn far more attention this year thanks to Gaetz's national notoriety. In addition to Gaetz serving as one of Trump's most vocal cheerleaders in Congress, he last year orchestrated the first-ever ouster of a sitting House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy.
While McCarthy has since resigned from Congress, the feud between the prominent politicians has only continued. McCarthy recently asserted on Fox News that Gaetz "wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old," a reference to a past federal investigation where prosecutors ultimately decided not to pursue charges.
Dimmock's campaign has been tied to McCarthy financially. The Pensacola Republican shares a Campaign Manager with the American Patriots PAC, a super PAC controlled by McCarthy. McCarthy also recently endorsed Dimmock in an interview with POLITICO.
"Gaetz is the Hunter Biden of the Republican Party," McCarthy told the publication. "He's got an opponent who is pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, trained at Pensacola, went to the Naval Academy and flew jets to defend us while Gaetz was getting kicked out of high school, buying coke and paying minors for sex."
But since Dimmock's name surfaced on the last day of qualifying week on April 26, he has kept a low profile. Gaetz's campaign snapped up several web domains associated with Dimmock's name immediately and has used them to paint Dimmock as a supporter of diversity, equity and inclusion measures.
Dimmock's personal LinkedIn at the time he filed listed Dimmock as director of executive development for the Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis and Overholtz Center for Leadership at the University of West Florida, but the Panhandle school and Dimmock have since parted ways.
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