Missouri official seeks to out Matt Gaetz in Florida race

Aaron Dimmock, who earns $103,000 as a leadership training supervisor in the governor’s Office of Administration, is seeking to topple US Rep. Matt Gaetz in the Republican primary for a district in the Florida Panhandle.

Dimmock’s campaign told the Post-Dispatch in an email Wednesday that he works remotely from northern Florida, although he travels to Missouri for certain in-person events and conferences about once a month.

“Aaron works 20-40 hours per week in this role, depending on the program volume,” the campaign said in a statement, adding that he notified his supervisor that he was running for the position.

Parson spokesman Johnathan Shiflett confirmed Wednesday that Dimmock discussed his candidacy in Florida’s Aug. 20 primary with his superiors before launching his run in April.

“Mr. Dimmock did inform the Office of Administration of his decision to run for political office. His candidacy is not prohibited under Missouri law,” Shiflett said. “Mr. Dimmock continues to fulfill his responsibilities to the State of Missouri.”

Remote work from out-of-state locations is outlined in a 2021 administrative policy statement. The worker must receive written permission from a supervisor. The provision was instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

St. Louis County property records show Dimmock and his wife, Kimberly, own a house in Chesterfield, Missouri.

On his campaign website, Dimmock describes himself as a former naval aviator who retired after 20 years. He says he resides in Pensacola, Florida, with his wife and four children.

In the Navy, Dimmock flew missions over Bosnia and Serbia, as well as anti-drug missions in Central and South America, the website notes.

According to Dimmock’s LinkedIn page, he teaches business executives how to lead with candor, which he describes as “the ability to give feedback in a way that shows people you care about them personally and are willing to challenge them directly.”

In Missouri, as part of an initiative first pushed by former Gov. Eric Greitens that has continued under Parson, Dimmock has led classes of state employees seeking to improve their leadership skills.

Dimmock reported raising $285,000 in the most recent quarter. The lone contribution from Missouri came from former US Sen. John Danforth, who wrote a check for $3,300.

Gaetz, who has been in Congress since 2017, played a key role in the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October 2023.

In May, Politico reported that a top McCarthy advisor helped vet Dimmock for the challenge. Dimmock’s campaign committee also has the same treasurer as American Patriots PAC, an organization linked to McCarthy during the previous election cycle.

Although publicly available polling shows Gaetz favored by voters in the district, Shiflett said, Dimmock will leave the state payroll if he wins.

“Should he win election to political office, he would need to resign or his position with the state will be terminated,” Shiflett said.