Legislators in Florida are on the verge of paving the way for Gov. Ron DeSantis to announce a 2024 presidential campaign without resigning as governor.
Republicans in the Florida Senate are anticipated to add the provision to a pending elections measure before the end of the legislative session. While opinions differ on whether Florida law requires a governor to resign to run for president, state legislators are attempting to eliminate any doubt.
“Let’s do it, let’s clarify it,” Republican state Sen. Danny Burgess told Politico. “If there is ambiguity, and it has been discussed ad nauseam since November, if not before, then let’s do it.” Thus, if we’re ever fortunate enough to have a president or vice president from Florida, we’ll have cleansed the air.
In the coming weeks, it is widely anticipated that DeSantis will enter the 2024 primary, where he will face former President Trump and others. DeSantis is widely regarded as Trump’s most credible challenger in the primary, despite Trump’s significant lead in the surveys.
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The office of DeSantis did not respond promptly to a request for comment.
The change, if implemented, would be detrimental to Trump’s campaign, which has previously criticized DeSantis and indicated that his current travels constitute campaigning.
“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is currently on a month-long, taxpayer-funded presidential campaign schedule paid for by Florida taxpayers, and new questions are emerging as to whether this will force DeSantis to resign from office,” the Trump campaign wrote in an April email to supporters.
Democrats in Florida have leveled the same criticism against DeSantis, claiming that his recent voyage to Japan and his other travels across the United States demonstrate that he has abandoned Floridians.
Nikki Fried, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, told Politico, “This is just the latest example of Florida Republicans enabling DeSantis’ pursuit of his national ambitions while he fails Floridians on the issues that matter most to them.”
