Florida House APPROVES electoral law amendment to allow Ron DeSantis to run for president without resigning from governor’s office
- Ron DeSantis can run for president without stepping down as governor
- Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature changed state law
- DeSantis hasn’t said he’s in, but he’s widely expected to announce a bid
Ron DeSantis does not have to step down as Florida governor to run for president under a bill passed by the Republican-controlled legislature on Friday.
The measure is part of a much broader election law and adds an exemption to Florida law that requires anyone seeking a position to resign from a position they already hold after qualifying as a candidate. Only an office holder who is a candidate for US President or Vice President is not required to resign.
The bill now goes to the Florida governor’s house for DeSantis’ signature.
Ron DeSantis can run for president without stepping down as governor
Supporters say the bill isn’t specific to DeSantis, who hasn’t announced he’s running for the Republican presidential nomination, but that’s widely expected.
Democrats in the state called it a cynical attempt to pave the way for DeSantis to run for president while remaining governor. His gubernatorial term would end in January 2027.
“We in this body are executing the governor’s order,” said Democratic state representative Angela Nixon. “He has to step down to run if he wants to be president, period. Last time I checked, being a governor is a full-time job. Becoming a presidential candidate takes a lot of work.’
Provisions to change Florida’s “resign-to-run law” came into effect just days ago, despite months of speculation that DeSantis would run for president.
DeSantis looks to the first two weeks of June to formally jump into the presidential race, This is reported by Bloomberg News citing people familiar with the deliberations.
The governor and his team are considering a campaign kickoff in Dunedin, the Florida governor’s hometown, or in Ohio or Pennsylvania, swing states where he has family ties.
DeSantis has said publicly that he has still not made up his mind to run for president this cycle. But he has gone on a book tour to the important states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Michigan, which many see as a prelude to a presidential campaign.
However, he is trailing former President Donald Trump in the polls for the GOP nomination. And there are rumors among Republican donors that they may not support Florida’s governor because they question his qualifications.
DeSantis is currently touring the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and Israel, intended to brush up on his foreign policy credentials.
He’s under fire from all sides – Trump has hammered him on the campaign trail and back home in Florida, DeSantis is in a knife contest with the Walt Disney Company, one of the largest employers in the state.
Thursday a Fox News poll showed Trump with a whopping 32 point lead against DeSantis, who finished in second place, who earned 21 percent support versus the former president’s 53 percent.
Donald Trump leads in polls for Republican presidential nomination
Other than Trump and DeSantis, no other announced or potential Republican candidate received double-digit support from those polled in the new Fox News poll.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has not yet announced a nomination, came in third behind Trump and DeSantis, earning 6 percent — and Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and former Trump ambassador to the UN who is officially running for office. came fourth with 4 percent.
Longshot candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who made his millions in biotech and investment firms, comes in at 3 percent.
Meanwhile, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, both unannounced but rumored to be running predominantly, are tied for sixth with 2 percent support among the Republican primary voters.