Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an elections bill Wednesday, clearing himself to run for president ahead of his highly anticipated campaign launch.
The state’s resign-to-run statute could have prevented DeSantis from running for president without first resigning as governor, and Senate Bill 7050 included an amendment to clarify the Florida law. DeSantis signed the elections bill, which holds that individuals “seeking the office of President or Vice President of the United States” are now exempt from the resign-to-run provision.
“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 states.
Resign-to-run currently reads that DeSantis would have to vacate his governorship once “qualifying” for office, but doesn’t define what “qualifying” means. This amendment clarifies the statute by excluding individuals who are running for the presidency or vice presidency from the statute’s provisions altogether.
DeSantis filed the paperwork to run for president Wednesday ahead of his highly anticipated presidential announcement at 6 p.m. on Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk, the Daily Caller News Foundation confirmed. He has been traveling to early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire, touting his new book “The Courage To Be Free” and his “Florida Blueprint” agenda.
The governor will enter an increasingly growing Republican primary field with former President Donald Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and conservative radio show host Larry Elder, with former Vice President Mike Pence expected to soon enter.
The Real Clear Politics (RCP) average for a 2024 national Republican primary, based on polls conducted between April 28 and May 22, indicates that DeSantis has 21.1% support