Before announcing his bid for president on Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis singed a bill into Florida law which ensures he can remain as governor during his presidential campaign. The law changes Florida’s “resign-to-run” rule which took months of debate to overturn. Immediately after DeSantis signed the bill, there were two lawsuits filed in federal court to fight the it. The League of Women Voters of Florida and the NAACP are both listed as filers on the lawsuits. The NAACP recently issued a warning that Florida is unsafe for blacks to travel to because of DeSantis’ policies. DeSantis labeled the travel advisory as a ‘publicity stunt.’
According to Politico:
DeSantis signed the bill, S.B. 7050, on the same day he filed paperwork and officially started his campaign for president.
One of the bill sponsors, state Sen. Danny Burgess (R-Zephyrhills), had suggested that a tweak to the state’s resign-to-run law was not needed. But by acting now, Florida Republicans removed a potential legal challenge to DeSantis’ candidacy if he winds up becoming the GOP nominee for president.
Florida law requires anyone running for a new office to submit an irrevocable letter of resignation ahead of qualifying if the terms of the two offices overlap. The law had been changed twice in the past two decades, including once to help then-Gov. Charlie Crist when he was a potential nominee for vice president.
The new law makes it clear that someone running for president and vice president does not have to comply with the resign-to-run provision which remains intact for candidates running for Congress.
The parties filing the lawsuit say that DeSantis is putting excessive restrictions and oversight on groups that seek to register new voters. Republicans will argue that having oversight over these groups will help prevent election fraud and that DeSantis is not attempting to restrict voter access.
