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(Trends Wide) — Florida lawmakers approved a measure Friday that clears the way for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to run in the 2024 presidential election without resigning from his current position.
The long-anticipated decision would change the Florida law known as “resign to run.” This rule currently requires in-state candidates seeking higher office to resign their elected office once they qualify for election. Legislation passed Friday exempts “any person running for the office of President or Vice President of the United States” from resigning.
The measure was added to a sweeping election bill that passed the House by a vote of 76 to 34, and now goes to DeSantis’s office for his signature. The package had previously been approved by the state Senate this Thursday 12-28. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers.
“I can’t think of a better training ground than the state of Florida for a future commander in chief,” said Republican state representative Tyler Sirois.
The change would remove a previously unresolved dispute. The law says that “no officer may qualify as a candidate for another state, district, county, or municipal public office” without relinquishing his or her current position. However, it does not clarify at what point that would apply to a presidential candidate: when they file paperwork to run, when they qualify for the ballot in any state or only in Florida, or when they are nominated by their party.
Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the provision, saying DeSantis should not be able to run the third-largest US state and at the same time campaign across the country for the White House.
“This is not just a clarification, this is an intentional move to curry favor,” state Sen. Shevrin Jones said Thursday. “You’re not doing this because it’s the right thing to do. You’re doing it because you can,” he completed.
DeSantis has not officially announced that he will run for the presidency, but is expected to do so in the weeks after state lawmakers conclude their legislative session. The last day of the session is May 5th.
This is not the first time Florida lawmakers have voted to amend the resignation law to help clear a governor’s path to the White House. In 2007, the law was changed to remove the requirement for federal applicants. It was widely seen as a move to help then-Governor Charlie Crist, who was among potential running mates on the 2008 Republican presidential ticket.
