Florida Might Change a State Law So Ron DeSantis Can Run for President and Be Governor at the Same Time

Mar. 15, 2025

Ron DeSantis.Photo: Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via GettyFlorida’s state legislature appears poised to change a rule that requires lawmakers running for a new office to resign from their current role — a law that could majorly impact the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, whorecently won reelectionto his post and is widely rumored to bemulling a 2024 presidential run.Florida’s so-called “Resign to Run” law dictates that a sitting lawmaker running for a different office, including a federal office, must submit an irrevocable written resignation “at least 10 days prior to the first day of qualifying for the office he or she intends to seek.“The law was changed in 2008 (the same year former Gov.Charlie Cristwas considered for vice president) but it was put back in place in 2018, per Politico.Speaking to reporters this week, the state’s Senate President Kathleen Passidomo indicated that it would be “a good idea” to change the state law.“If an individual who is Florida governor is running for president, I think he should be allowed to do it,” Passidomo said,Politico reports. “I really do. That’s a big honor and a privilege, so it is a good idea.“Any changes to state election law would likely occur after March 2023, when the state’s legislative session begins.DeSantis won his bid for reelection earlier this month, easily triumphing over his opponent, Crist, who ran this year as a Democrat after years earlier serving as the state’s Republican governor.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.DeSantis hasdownplayed rumorsof a presidential run, saying such speculation is “purely manufactured,” even as he governs in a similar style toDonald Trump, making sweeping pronouncements about “woke” culture and launching feuds with companies such as Disney.After winning his reelection nearly 20 points ahead of his competitor, DeSantis has continued to sidestep questions about his political ambitions, saying “people just need to chill out” when asked about presidential run that might pit him against Trump.But talk of his running for higher office has only grown in recent weeks, particularly as his popularity surged despite Republican losses in many parts of the country.As a political sourcerecently told PEOPLE, DeSantis “is popular with Florida Republican voters, which is a good indication of how he would do nationally. He is not afraid to speak out on unpopular issues, and even more important than that, he is not afraid of Donald Trump.“Trump, it seems, has taken notice of DeSantis' rise in the Republican party. The former president has slowly begun to criticize the man who could become his political rival, referring to him as “Ron DeSanctimonious” in a recent rally and arguing he was disloyal in a recent post on his social media site, Truth Social.“Ron DeSanctimonious is playing games! The Fake News asks him if he’s going to run if President Trump runs, and he says, ‘I’m only focused on the Governor’s race, I’m not looking into the future.’ Well, in terms of loyalty and class, that’s really not the right answer,” Trump posted earlier this month.Just last week, Trumpofficially announced that he would runfor the presidency in 2024 — declaring his candidacy amid numerous legal troubles, includinginvestigations into his conduct on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of riotersstormed the U.S. Capitolon his behalf in an attempt to stopJoe Biden’s election victory from being certified, and hishandling of classified documentsafter leaving office.

Ron DeSantis.Photo: Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty

Florida’s state legislature appears poised to change a rule that requires lawmakers running for a new office to resign from their current role — a law that could majorly impact the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, whorecently won reelectionto his post and is widely rumored to bemulling a 2024 presidential run.Florida’s so-called “Resign to Run” law dictates that a sitting lawmaker running for a different office, including a federal office, must submit an irrevocable written resignation “at least 10 days prior to the first day of qualifying for the office he or she intends to seek.“The law was changed in 2008 (the same year former Gov.Charlie Cristwas considered for vice president) but it was put back in place in 2018, per Politico.Speaking to reporters this week, the state’s Senate President Kathleen Passidomo indicated that it would be “a good idea” to change the state law.“If an individual who is Florida governor is running for president, I think he should be allowed to do it,” Passidomo said,Politico reports. “I really do. That’s a big honor and a privilege, so it is a good idea.“Any changes to state election law would likely occur after March 2023, when the state’s legislative session begins.DeSantis won his bid for reelection earlier this month, easily triumphing over his opponent, Crist, who ran this year as a Democrat after years earlier serving as the state’s Republican governor.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.DeSantis hasdownplayed rumorsof a presidential run, saying such speculation is “purely manufactured,” even as he governs in a similar style toDonald Trump, making sweeping pronouncements about “woke” culture and launching feuds with companies such as Disney.After winning his reelection nearly 20 points ahead of his competitor, DeSantis has continued to sidestep questions about his political ambitions, saying “people just need to chill out” when asked about presidential run that might pit him against Trump.But talk of his running for higher office has only grown in recent weeks, particularly as his popularity surged despite Republican losses in many parts of the country.As a political sourcerecently told PEOPLE, DeSantis “is popular with Florida Republican voters, which is a good indication of how he would do nationally. He is not afraid to speak out on unpopular issues, and even more important than that, he is not afraid of Donald Trump.“Trump, it seems, has taken notice of DeSantis' rise in the Republican party. The former president has slowly begun to criticize the man who could become his political rival, referring to him as “Ron DeSanctimonious” in a recent rally and arguing he was disloyal in a recent post on his social media site, Truth Social.“Ron DeSanctimonious is playing games! The Fake News asks him if he’s going to run if President Trump runs, and he says, ‘I’m only focused on the Governor’s race, I’m not looking into the future.’ Well, in terms of loyalty and class, that’s really not the right answer,” Trump posted earlier this month.Just last week, Trumpofficially announced that he would runfor the presidency in 2024 — declaring his candidacy amid numerous legal troubles, includinginvestigations into his conduct on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of riotersstormed the U.S. Capitolon his behalf in an attempt to stopJoe Biden’s election victory from being certified, and hishandling of classified documentsafter leaving office.

Florida’s state legislature appears poised to change a rule that requires lawmakers running for a new office to resign from their current role — a law that could majorly impact the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, whorecently won reelectionto his post and is widely rumored to bemulling a 2024 presidential run.

Florida’s so-called “Resign to Run” law dictates that a sitting lawmaker running for a different office, including a federal office, must submit an irrevocable written resignation “at least 10 days prior to the first day of qualifying for the office he or she intends to seek.”

The law was changed in 2008 (the same year former Gov.Charlie Cristwas considered for vice president) but it was put back in place in 2018, per Politico.

Speaking to reporters this week, the state’s Senate President Kathleen Passidomo indicated that it would be “a good idea” to change the state law.

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

Any changes to state election law would likely occur after March 2023, when the state’s legislative session begins.

DeSantis won his bid for reelection earlier this month, easily triumphing over his opponent, Crist, who ran this year as a Democrat after years earlier serving as the state’s Republican governor.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.

DeSantis hasdownplayed rumorsof a presidential run, saying such speculation is “purely manufactured,” even as he governs in a similar style toDonald Trump, making sweeping pronouncements about “woke” culture and launching feuds with companies such as Disney.

After winning his reelection nearly 20 points ahead of his competitor, DeSantis has continued to sidestep questions about his political ambitions, saying “people just need to chill out” when asked about presidential run that might pit him against Trump.

But talk of his running for higher office has only grown in recent weeks, particularly as his popularity surged despite Republican losses in many parts of the country.

As a political sourcerecently told PEOPLE, DeSantis “is popular with Florida Republican voters, which is a good indication of how he would do nationally. He is not afraid to speak out on unpopular issues, and even more important than that, he is not afraid of Donald Trump.”

Trump, it seems, has taken notice of DeSantis' rise in the Republican party. The former president has slowly begun to criticize the man who could become his political rival, referring to him as “Ron DeSanctimonious” in a recent rally and arguing he was disloyal in a recent post on his social media site, Truth Social.

“Ron DeSanctimonious is playing games! The Fake News asks him if he’s going to run if President Trump runs, and he says, ‘I’m only focused on the Governor’s race, I’m not looking into the future.’ Well, in terms of loyalty and class, that’s really not the right answer,” Trump posted earlier this month.

Just last week, Trumpofficially announced that he would runfor the presidency in 2024 — declaring his candidacy amid numerous legal troubles, includinginvestigations into his conduct on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of riotersstormed the U.S. Capitolon his behalf in an attempt to stopJoe Biden’s election victory from being certified, and hishandling of classified documentsafter leaving office.

source: people.com