Gaetz dismisses last-minute GOP primary challenger as ‘puppet’ of Kevin McCarthy

MARY ESTER, Fla. – Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., dismissed a last-minute primary opponent challenging him for his congressional seat as a “puppet” of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

“Meet @aaronwdimmock – the BLM supporting DEI instructor running against me in the Republican Primary,” Gaetz said on social media.

“I knew former Representative McCarthy would be getting a puppet of his to run. I didn’t know it would be a Woke Toby Flenderson!” He said.

According to a LinkedIn profile associated with his name, Dimmock, a former Navy aviator, posted pro-Black Lives Matter and Diversity Equity and Inclusion related content while in his leadership role at the Chapman and Co. Leadership Institute in 2020.

“We remain committed to making it better,” Dimmock said when he reposted a Black Lives Matter graphic that the company originally put on social media.

He also reposted several of the companies’s DEI posts, providing his own comments, including “#diversityandinclusion.”

He also reposted and encouraged people to attend DEI training sessions for the business.

The Daily Caller also reported that Dimmock shares a campaign treasurer who is affiliated with McCarthy’s American Patriots PAC.

Rep. Anna Pauline Luna, R-Fla., joined in Gaetz’s dismissal, associating Dimmock’s military experience as part of the problem with its “woke leadership”.

“Want to know what’s wrong with the military? It’s woke leadership from people like @aaronwdimmock who are more focused on DEI than mission readiness and have destroyed our country by promoting racial division instead of unity,” she said on social media.

“Now he wants to come to Congress? No. I look forward to campaigning for @mattgaetz in FL-1,” she added.