A bill allowing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for President without resigning as Governor of Florida has passed the Florida legislature and he is expected to sign it into law.
The bill was passed by the Florida House 76-34 on Friday afternoon, according to Florida’s Voice. It previously passed the Florida Senate 28-12.
Proponents of the bill say it clarifies existing language to state that Florida state legislators are, in fact, allowed to keep their state-level job while running for President of the United States.
Florida is one of five states with “resign-to-run” legislation on the books, reports The Post Millennial. Advocates say such laws incentivize politicians to remain focused on their elected positions, rather than campaigning for a more attractive job.
DeSantis, who is term limited and cannot run for governor again in 2026, is widely expected to launch a presidential campaign as soon as May. Thanks to a network of consultants, donors, and influencers who support him, he is poised to receive large scale support from the establishment.
Trump has largely anticipated DeSantis as his most threatening opponent, labeling him “Ron DeSanctimonious,” and his 2024 campaign recently released its first ad. It knocks the Florida governor over his previous pro-Trump statements and advertisements.
The ad features DeSantis thanking Trump for helping to secure the Republican nomination for governor: “I’d like to thank our President for standing by me when it wasn’t necessarily the smart thing to do.”
It also features a DeSantis ad in which the governor touts his Trumpism, building a wall with one of his children and reading a Trump-themed story book to another.
While DeSantis seems to move forward with his plan to run for the White House, recent polls showing Trump with double digit leads may indicate the Florida politician has a hard path to victory.
One such poll showed Trump ahead of DeSantis by 25 percentage points in Florida, where both men have a home state advantage.
