Florida House passes law that would allow DeSantis to run for president without resigning 

Florida lawmakers passed an election reform bill on Friday that would allow Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president in 2024 without resigning from the governorship. 

The change to the Sunshine State’s so-called “Resign to Run” law had been anticipated in the state Capitol, which is controlled by Republican supermajorities in both chambers.

Florida law currently requires candidates seeking higher office to give up their elected post once they qualify for the ballot. 

The legislation approved on Friday exempts “any person seeking the office of President or Vice President of the United States” from “Resign to Run.”

It now heads to DeSantis’ desk for his signature. 

Backers of the change argue that it is not specifically aimed at DeSantis, who has not yet announced his 2024 presidential intentions but is widely expected to launch his White House campaign sometime after Florida’s legislative session ends on May 5.  

“I can’t think of a better training ground than the state of Florida for a future commander in chief,” Republican state Rep. Tyler Sirois said Friday.

Republican Senate President Kathleen Passadomo said last year that having a Florida governor run for the nation’s highest office would be a “big honor” and that the state’s chief executive should be exempted from Florida’s “Resign to Run” law. 

“If an individual who is Florida governor is running for president, I think he should be allowed to do it,” Passadomo said last November. “I really do. That’s a big honor and a privilege, so it is a good idea.”

Democrats opposed to the change accuse Republicans of carrying water for DeSantis and argue that the 44-year-old politician should not be allowed to govern the third-largest state in the country while also campaigning for president.

“This is not just a clarification, this is an intentional move to curry favor,” Democratic state Sen. Shevrin Jones said Thursday. “You’re not doing this because it’s the right thing to do. You’re doing it because you can.”

“We in this body are doing the governor´s bidding,” Democratic state Rep. Angela Nixon said. “He needs to resign to run if he wants to run for president, period. Last time I checked, being governor is a full-time job. Running for president takes a lot of work.”

DeSantis shot down reports on Thursday that he’s reached a decision to run for president in 2024, calling them “inaccurate.” 

“If there’s any announcements, those will come at the appropriate time. But if anyone’s telling you that somehow they know this or they know that, that’s just inaccurate because there’s not been any decisions made,” he said while on the Israel leg of a whirlwind international trip that has also taken him to Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom.