2024 elections: Gaetz draws GOP challenger and Ginger Bowden Madden re-elected to SAO
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Aaron Dimmock's name, which was misspelled in the original version.
U.S. Rep Matt Gaetz has drawn a challenger in the Republican Primary. Former naval aviator Aaron Dimmock filed Friday to run for Florida's 1st Congressional District as a Republican.
Noon on Friday marked the qualifying deadline for federal and judicial candidates in Florida.
With the passing of the deadline, First Judicial Circuit State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden and Public Defender Bruce Miller have both been automatically re-elected as they had no challengers qualify for the ballot on Friday.
On the congressional side, Gaetz appeared to be heading to the general election to face Democratic challenger Gay Valimont until Dimmock filed.
Valimont is automatically the Democratic nominee and will head to the general election in November. Valimont is a former Florida leader in the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
On the Republican side, Gaetz has fended off multiple GOP challengers in previous years, including a well-funded challenge in 2022 from former FedEx executive Mark Lombardo by a more than 45-point margin.
Dimmock is a retired Naval officer and Naval aviator and is currently the director for leadership programs at the University of West Florida's Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership.
Qualifying for Legislature and local candidates is noon on June 14. The deadline to register to vote in the Aug. 8 primary is July 22.
Back on the judicial side, all 12 First Judicial Circuit Court judges and two Escambia County Court judges up for election were automatically re-elected after they drew no challengers on Friday. No Santa Rosa County Court judges were up for election this year.
First Judicial Circuit Court judges:
John Gontarek
Randall Todd Harris
Darlene Fallon Dickey
Amy Brodersen
Lacey Clark
Jeffrey Lewis
Steven Warrick
Linda Nobles
Terry Ketchel
John Miller
Gary Bergosh
Thomas Williams
Escambia County Court judges:
Kristina Lightel
Kerra Smith
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Rep. Matt Gaetz draws GOP challenger for August primary 2024 elections