Under current Florida law, if Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis decides to run for president in 2024, he would have to step down from his present office. But with GOP majorities in both legislative branches, there is a growing call to put that restriction aside by the many RINOs who occupy the state’s government.
State Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) told reporters Tuesday that she believes the governor “should be allowed to do it.” She called it a big honor and privilege.
House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) agreed that it is a “good idea” to change the statute to allow DeSantis to continue as Florida governor if he chooses to run.
Both chambers of the Florida Legislature have huge Republican majorities.
They're going to tweak Florida law to let a governor remain as governor if he or she runs for president.
It's on: Don v Ron.https://t.co/WOAdTAKgA5
— John Ruddick (@JohnRuddick2) November 23, 2022
DeSantis was recently reelected to a second four-year term in Tallahassee by a landslide. But many are questioning his intentions, as he seems to be moving toward challenging former President Donald Trump
The governor has not declared his intentions, Trump has already announced his candidacy for the White House. But many Never-Trump Republicans and the media, who once joined hands to stop Trump’s initial run, are pressing DeSantis to abandon Florida and run against Trump in the coming primary.
Current state law requires an officeholder to resign if the office they are pursuing has a term that overlaps their current position.
However, it was changed in 2008 to allow then-Gov. Charlie Crist to pursue the vice presidency. That, of course, did not materialize, and the legislature put the law back on the books four years later.
Many believe the Florida governor will wait until after the next legislative session to announce his intentions. That session begins in March 2023.
