There’s a new bigot to know in Florida, and she wants to replace Matt Gaetz in Congress.
Florida Republican state House Representative Michelle Salzman announced her candidacy on X Tuesday, writing, “I am making my intentions to run for Congress by filing today I want to do what is best for our country and helping President Trump with the Make America Great Again Agenda!”
Gaetz resigned from Congress last week, hours after Trump picked him for his attorney general and just days before a House Ethics investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct was set to wrap up.
Salzman, while not facing allegations of sex trafficking and sexual misconduct, seems to be cut from the same cloth as Gaetz in other ways. The Republican state representative is known for letting a toxic landfill fester in Wedgewood, Florida, because, “They’re Democrats. They vote Democrat.”
She posts weird, grainy, and often racist memes on Twitter. She was accused of calling the Florida House’s lone Black Republican a “token.” And perhaps most notably, she has made despicable comments toward Palestinian people.
Last fall, Democratic state Representative Angie Nixon was arguing for a bill in favor of a cease-fire in Israel’s war on Palestine. “We are at 10,000 dead Palestinians. How many will be enough?” Nixon asked the chamber. Salzman grabbed the microphone and replied, “All of them.”
Salzman is the second Republican to announce her bid to take Gaetz’s seat. Florida will hold its congressional special elections once Governor DeSantis sets a date.