Matt Gaetz at 21% approval rating in Florida after House speaker turmoil: Poll

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz is at a 21% approval rating in his home state, according to a poll taken right after Rep. Mike Johnson became House Speaker after a more than three-week-long contest that resulted after Gaetz led an effort to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

While 12% of Floridians say they "strongly approve" of Gaetz, 9% say they "somewhat approve," and 57% say they at least somewhat disapprove of the hard-line GOP congressman, according to a Florida Atlantic University/Mainstreet Research poll, The Pensacola News Journal reported Tuesday.

The poll did not show what Gaetz's approval is in his district, but it broke down the state by regions, including Northwest Florida, which does contain his district as well as several others. In Northwest Florida, however, 20.9% of respondents said they somewhat or strongly approve of Gaetz, the poll showed.

The poll of 946 Florida adults was conducted from Oct. 27-Nov. 11, after Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, became speaker on Oct. 25.

Eight House Republicans voted with Democrats on Oct. 3 to remove McCarthy from his position, citing recent budget negotiations, after Gaetz introduced the motion to remove the speaker.

Gaetz's office did not immediately respond to request for comment. 

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