Florida Republicans vote on removing party chairman accused of rape, while DeSantis pins his hopes on Iowa
TALAHASSEE, Fla. — The Republican Party of Florida will hold a special meeting Monday to vote on whether to oust chairman Christian Ziegler and select a new leader while police investigate a rape allegation against him, a vote that comes the week before Gov. Ron DeSantis participates in Iowa's first election. presidential caucus across the country.
The party suspended Ziegler last month and demanded his resignation, saying he cannot lead effectively during a crucial election year as allegations, which Ziegler denies, swirl around him. Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and other Republican leaders have called on Ziegler to resign, but he has refused.
DeSantis is seeking the Republican nomination for president, but ahead of the Jan. 15 caucus in Iowa he is far behind former President Donald Trump, who is also from Florida. Scott is running for re-election. Florida will also play a key role in determining control of the U.S. House.
“We need to move past this and focus on 2024. Florida is one of the most important states for Republicans and we need to continue to see wins, especially for Rick Scott and the top of the ticket with Trump as our nominee. ultimately,” said state Sen. Joe Gruters, who preceded Ziegler as party chairman.
The meeting is expected to take place behind closed doors at a conference center in Tallahassee.
In addition to the rape accusation, there is another difficult element for the party. Under DeSantis, Florida has stripped the rights of LGBTQ+ Floridians and banned instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.
Ziegler and his wife, Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, admitted to police that they previously had a consensual sexual relationship with Christian Ziegler's accuser.
Sarasota police are investigating the woman's allegation that Ziegler raped her in her apartment in October. According to police documents, the Zieglers and the woman had planned a sexual threesome that day, but Bridget Ziegler was unable to attend. Prosecutors say Christian Ziegler arrived anyway and attacked her.
Christian Ziegler has not been charged with a crime and says he is innocent. He claims the meeting was consensual.
Bridget Ziegler, an elected member of the Sarasota School Board, has not been charged with any crime. The board voted last month to ask her to resign, but she refused.
The couple have been outspoken opponents of LGBTQ+ rights and their relationship with another woman has led to criticism and accusations of hypocrisy.