Donald Jay Gaetz is a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 member of the Florida Senate

Florida Senate

The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....

, representing the 4th District since 2007.
Donald Jay Gaetz was born January 22, 1948, in rural North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

. His father, Jerry, served as mayor of Rugby, North Dakota

Rugby, North Dakota

Rugby is a city in Pierce County, North Dakota in the United States. It is the county seat of Pierce County. The population was 2,876 at the 2010 census. Rugby was founded in 1886.Rugby is often billed as being the geographic center of North America....

, and a state legislator while also working as a rancher, farmer and railroad worker. Jerry Gaetz died of a heart attack at the 1964 state Republican convention while his 16-year-old son watched on TV. Thus, Gaetz has a family history of politics and is "a lifelong Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

." Gaetz’s mother suffered from Parkinson’s disease.