There’s Something HUGE In The Way Of DeSantis Running For President…

Potential presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, could face a hurdle in his path to the White House due to the state’s “Resign-to-Run” law. If he wants to run for president, he would need to resign from his current post first. However, the state’s legislative session is underway, and lawmakers are working on a bill to clarify what it means to qualify for higher office.

Florida’s Speaker of the House’s office confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation that a bill to address the Resign-to-Run law was not on the docket, but many experts believe that this could change in the coming months. According to Jaime Miller, a former executive director of the Florida Republican Party, the legislature must clarify the qualifications for the presidency under Florida law.

“I think they will do it this session because there is a timeliness issue,” Miller said.

The Resign-to-Run law was altered in 2007 to allow then-Gov. Charlie Crist to seek the vice presidency, but it was changed back in 2018 by then-Gov. Rick Scott, who restricted Florida office-holders from seeking federal positions without resigning first.

According to Miller, the legislature will “clean up” the law via an amendment that specifically defines what it means to qualify for higher office. He believes they will clarify that a candidate doesn’t qualify for president until they are the party nominee, which would give DeSantis some leeway in running.

The current legal interpretation is that DeSantis would only have to resign if he became the Republican nominee. However, a Tallahassee-based lobbyist familiar with the legislative discussions told the DCNF that a clarification is still likely.

“I think the legislature is going to fix it to say that he would not have to resign until he took the oath of office for the presidency, and therefore, if he’s unsuccessful, he could come back and serve as governor,” the lobbyist said.

Neither House Speaker Paul Renner nor Senate President Kathleen Passidomo provided comment on if or when such a bill would be filed. But Miller noted that both chamber leaders have massive legislative agendas they want to push through, and doing the paperwork could wait until later on in the session.

No, it’s more than “fishing for support”.

DeSantis can’t announce he’s running until the FL legislature changes the “Resign to Run” law. The legislature is trying to change it *only* for him so he can run & keep his job.

Session ends in May. He will likely file @ end of May. https://t.co/rJliJ7VI5L

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) February 27, 2023

Ben Torpey, a Republican Florida political consultant, said it will be interesting to see how early the legislature takes action on the Resign-to-Run law. They might focus on other major pieces of legislation first so that a possible DeSantis run doesn’t take up the next two months.

“The legislature might wait until the final weeks of the session to clarify this law so it aligns with an expected presidential announcement from DeSantis,” said Torpey. “It would be the ‘cherry on top’ of their conservative agenda.”

But whether Florida’s legislature takes action on this law or not will be telling, according to Bryan Leib, a former GOP Congressional Candidate and advisory board member for Miami-Dade County.

“A lack of legislation could indicate that DeSantis either isn’t running or that he will resign and run,” Leib said.

DeSantis has not yet commented on the situation. However, the governor has plenty of allies in both chambers who will help him run for president if that’s what he decides to do.

Overall, it remains to be seen what will happen with the Resign-to-Run law and how it will affect DeSantis’ potential presidential run. But it’s clear that lawmakers are already working on addressing this issue, and it could have significant implications for the political landscape in Florida and beyond.

Sources: DailyCaller, Politico