‘Resign-to-Run’ Law Looms Large Over DeSantis Candidacy Question

Florida Governor. Ron DeSantis began his run for the office that he is not currently seeking. Officially, it’s not a campaign. Instead, it’s called a book tour. “The Courage to be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival.”

DeSantis is making 2 book-tour stops this week in IowaIt is important for presidential candidates with its early primaries. It’s possible that he will stop by New Hampshire with its early primaries, too.

DeSantis is working on other parts of his campaign. DeSantis meets and receives checks from large donors. His staff of campaign workers has been paid by Republican Party.

Why is he not running for office? He said that he was first worried about Florida’s current legislative session. It began on March 7th and will continue until May 5.

However, there is another reason. Florida law now requires him to resign as governor—in a second term he took the oath of office for just two months ago—if he runs for another office.

The law has been debated by Florida lawmakers over the years. The law was relaxed for officials from the state and local governments who wanted to run for the federal office. It came about when Charlie Crist, then the Governor of Florida, sought the nomination for the vice-presidential position in 2008.

They changed the law in 2018 under Rick Scott as they realized that it was causing costly special elections and that it should be eased. These were avoided by the resign to run law.

If DeSantis resigned, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez could succeed DeSantis to this office.

To ease this law again, no bill has been filed. However, both the Senate Majority Leader Kathleen Passidomo and Paul Renner, the state House Speaker of Illinois, suggested after November’s elections that they would support doing so. The Epoch Times reached out to them both for clarifications on their current positions.

However, legislators have remained silent on this subject.

As written, the law is unclear. Any change could be called an attempt to clarify it.

Florida Statute 99.012 (4)(a) states: “Any officer who qualifies for federal public office must resign from the office he or she presently holds if the terms, or any part thereof, run concurrently with each other.” It is also stated that the law makes it impossible to renounce.

It is important to clarify when DeSantis must resign, if the law hasn’t been changed. His resignation would be required “at least 10 days before the first day of qualifying for the office he or she intends to seek.”

It would be effective no later than the earlier of two dates—the date he would become president if elected, or the date his successor as governor would be required to take office.

According to political scientists, this allows for wiggle room. Susan MacManus (professor emeritus) at the University of South Florida says that the qualifying deadline for most offices is one deadline.

Floridians seeking to run for Governor, like DeSantis last year, and for federal offices, such as Senate, Congress or Senate, must qualify before June 17, 2022. A person in conflict with the law would need to quit 10 days prior.

A candidate for the presidency must first run in primaries held in different states. MacManus said that DeSantis may not need to resign in Florida until just 10 days before his first primary.

Aubrey Jewett from the University of Central Florida suggested that DeSantis could extend the deadline if he believes seeking out a nomination for a party does not equal running for the office. “office.”

Florida law doesn’t allow him to resign until, assuming that he has won the Republican nomination for president, he qualifies for the general election of November 2024.

“There’s some ambiguity, if the law doesn’t change, when Governor DeSantis would be required to file his resignation,” Jewett said. “It’s confusing.”

Jon McGowan is a federal and state-law specialist. told The Associated Press It’s the exact same. “There’s too much ambiguity.”

New Hampshire’s 2024 primary is still to be set. It was the first national primary.

The national Democratic Party seeks to expel the state and to shake up its primary agenda to bring states with more minorities into office sooner.

New Hampshire continues to resist, while the Republican party favors the current status.

The traditional primary occurred in February.

The 2020 election was held on February 11th with the filing deadline of Nov. 15. DeSantis, therefore, would not have to quit if New Hampshire is within the same period of qualifying as it was in 2019.

Republican voices raised in opposition have all been from outside the legislature—and all supporters of DeSantis’s rival for the nomination, former President Donald Trump.

Critics so far include former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Republican activist Laura Loomer and ex-state Rep. Anthony Sabatini were among those criticised.

Loomer has also attacked DeSantis regarding it. Most recently, she posted a YouTube link on her Twitter account that was dated March 6th.

She criticized his efforts to “abuse his authority,” He says that he “deceived Florida voters” He was running for the second term because he did not intend to finish, which he claimed he thought he would. “above the law.”

The whole thing smells like the “self-serving political corruption” Associated with “third-world leaders, dictators, or authoritarian individuals.”

The Epoch Times sent emails to Bryan Griffin, the DeSantis spokesperson and Lindsay Curnutte asking them to respond to Loomer’s comments.

Palin seemed nicer. Palin said that DeSantis was young and could wait to run for the presidency.

“DeSantis is a great governor, probably the best governor in the nation,” She spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference, (CPAC) recently.

However “nobody can compare to Trump.”

Jewett agreed with DeSantis’ formidable nature, and that he is not someone with whom legislators want to pick a fight.

“Republicans don’t want to cross him. It could come back to haunt them, particularly in a primary,” Jewett said.

“But I don’t want to overplay that. A lot of it goes back to, he’s really popular, and a lot of Republicans in the legislature like Ron DeSantis. They think he’s good for the party and good for policy.”

“He’s perceived as the head of the Republican party in Florida. He has high popularity within GOP circles across the country and in Florida, and he has so much money.”

MacManus explained that Republicans who are opposed to DeSantis’s legislative agenda don’t possess the votes necessary to prevent the proposed law changes from being introduced.

Jewett indicated that it is likely that lawmakers will attempt to modify the law at the close of session.

During Florida’s 60 day legislative session, DeSantis will be able to keep his eyes on the state and not lose sight of it. In the interim, he will delay his announcement of candidacy.

“Wide speculation is that he wants to wait until the legislative session is over,” Jewett said.

Republican National Committee has announced that the first Republican National Committee presidential debate would take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in August. Bis now, Trump, Nikki Haley and Vivek Rajaswamy (ex-South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador), have announced their candidacies.

DeSantis joins a number of prominent Republicans who are expected to announce. These include Sen. Tim Scott, (R-S.C.), and Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State and CIA Director.

MacManus stated that DeSantis is well-placed to be declared candidacy sooner than later.

Candidates may be pressured to agree to this before donors and campaign staffers will commit to another candidate.

DeSantis has both. He’s already made a significant amount of money, and he still retains many millions in his 2022 reelection campaign. His 2022 campaign staff is also kept on the wings and paid by Republican party.

Jewett stated that he doesn’t need to make any declarations to generate excitement or enthusiasm. “He’s not hurting for those. He could wait until much later in the cycle if he wants to, and not hurt his chances.”

He will also be more likely to become a target for enemies media and opponents if he waits.

“Trump is already hammering away at him peripherally. Coming after him with nicknames and highlighting negative things on Truth Social,” Jewett stated that Trump has a social media platform.

“But because DeSantis is not actually in the race yet, he hasn’t gotten both barrels of Donald Trump. Once he’s in the race, I presume that will happen. So that might be a reason to stay out longer—to say out of Trump’s sights longer.”