Florida Lawmaker Proposes Amendment To Elections Bill, Opens Door For DeSantis Presidential Run

A Florida lawmaker filed an amendment to an elections shell bill Tuesday that would clarify the state’s resign-to-run law and open the door for Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president in 2024.

Senate Bill 7050, which intends to “revise bills relating to elections,” was filed by the Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections on March 30 and was speculated to take action on the Florida law that bars the governor from running without resigning from office first. The amendment to SB 7050 seeks to “clarify” resign-to-run and holds that those “seeking the office of President or Vice President of the United States” would be exempt from the statute’s provisions.

BREAKING:

Florida officially moves to repeal the state's "resign to run law," but only for those running for President and VP.

DeSantis thinks being Florida Governor is a consolation prize for failing in his run for President. pic.twitter.com/1byiij8SB9

— Rebekah Jones (@GeoRebekah) April 25, 2023

“Any person seeking the office of President or Vice President of the United States is not subject to the requirements of chapter 99, Florida Statutes, which govern candidate[s] qualifying, specifically those which require the submission of certain documents, full and public disclosures of financial interests, petition signatures, or the payment of filing fees. This section shall take effect upon this act becoming a law,” the bill reads.

The amendment, proposed by Republican Senator Travis Hutson, will take effect at the same time as the elections bill on July 1 and opens the door for DeSantis to run for president without having to resign from his seat as governor.

Resign-to-run currently holds that the governor would have to vacate his governorship once “qualifying” for office, but doesn’t clarify what “qualifying” means. This amendment clears this up by excluding individuals who are running for the presidency from the statute’s provisions.

DeSantis’ political team did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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