On Tuesday, state Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Destin, took a pass at running for Congress but another member of his family as well as another state senator could be interested.
Gaetz insisted he had no interest in running for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., who announced last week he was retiring from Congress.
“Over the last few days, Vicky and I have heard from so many friends from across Northwest Florida encouraging me to run for Congress,” Gaetz wrote in an email to supporters sent out on Tuesday afternoon. “It's awfully nice to know that folks from every community in our region think I could be of some value to our state and our country as a member of Congress.
“It has never been my goal to be in Washington, DC,” Gaetz added. “It has been my honor to be Northwest Florida's senator in Tallahassee. And we've had a pretty good run. But my home and my heart are in Northwest Florida. Gratified as I am by the many offers of support, I will not be a candidate for Congress.”
Gaetz expressed optimism a “real, true conservative will become a candidate and will represent our families and communities with success and with honor” and he could be talking about his son. State Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, has garnered some buzz as a possible candidate and was approached on Twitter about it last week after Miller announced his retirement.
“Possibly the kindest thing written about me on Twitter!” Gaetz posted back. “Thank you for the confidence.”
The younger Gaetz is currently running for his father’s seat in the state Senate. But he’s not the only state legislator seen as a possible candidate. So is state Sen. Greg Evers, R-Milton. Both Matt Gaetz and Evers told WEAR they were considering entering the race to replace Miller.
In the meantime, retired Navy Capt. Brian Frazier, who served 25 years on active duty and launched a primary challenge to Miller over the summer, shows no signs of getting out of the race.
"Now I'm sure there's going to be some very well known people jumping in the race and again I'll just ask the voters to consider, do you want a politician or do you want someone who has what I consider the prerequisite experience for the job in Washington D.C.?" Frazier told WEAR. “That's national security, veterans affairs, federal department, agencies and offices."
Calling the Panhandle home since the late 1970s and now based in Gulf Breeze, Frazier was in naval aviation and served in Afghanistan, Croatia, Iraq and other hot spots around the globe. Frazier calls for limited government and, on his campaign website, approvingly quotes libertarian thinkers F.A. Hayek and Ludwig von Mises and the Founding Fathers. Frazier supports term limits and will join the Term Limit Caucus if he is elected. He also backs Second Amendment rights and expanding free-market solutions for the economy.
This Panhandle district contains all of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties and most of the population of Holmes County. It’s considered safe for the Republicans even with Miller headed to the sidelines.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
