Florida Legislature Passes Bill Clarifying DeSantis Can Run For President While Governor

Ryan SaavedraApril 29, 2023

Florida Legislature Passes Bill Allowing Governor DeSantis to Run for President

The Florida legislature has passed a bill clarifying that Governor Ron DeSantis can run for President of the United States without having to resign as governor.

Overwhelming Support for the Bill

The Florida House passed the bill with a 76-34 vote on Friday, with nine lawmakers abstaining. The Florida Senate passed the measure on Wednesday in a 28-12 vote.

Eliminating Distractions

In a statement to The Daily Wire, Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said that the “resign-to-run” issue has been a topic of great conversation in the state due to DeSantis’ rise in the Republican Party and that it has become a distraction.

“I studied the current resign-to-run provisions of Florida law, as I indicated I would,” she said. “In my view, it is already apparent that resign-to-run does not apply to presidential and vice presidential candidates. Under our law, the timeline for resigning is entirely based on qualifying. Presidential and vice presidential candidates do not have to qualify. Presidential and vice presidential nominees (other than write-in candidates) are decided by their respective political parties at national conventions.”

“Senator Hutson’s amendment makes no changes to the process for nominating candidates for president and vice president, which is governed by political parties, not Florida law. It simply adds clarity to current law and eliminates any ambiguity.”