Hours after filing federal papers announcing his bid for president — and shortly before his plans to launch a campaign live via Twitter spiraled out of control — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a Florida election bill that cleared the a potential obstacle.
Florida’s so-called resignation candidacy statute could force Mr. DeSantis to resign after seeking the presidency, though legal issues surrounding the rule have never been fully resolved.
but state legislators the language of the law Late last month, it no longer applies to elected officials running for president or vice president. Democrats have accused Tallahassee Republicans of helping the governor, and while Republicans control both houses of the Senate, there is little they can do to block the measure. Republicans said the old law was vague and legal experts were divided on whether it applied to Mr. DeSantis.
Changes to the resignation and candidacy regulations are included in a broader electoral bill. It also contains provisions limiting how third-party groups can register voters.
Voting rights groups criticized the bill. The ACLU of Florida said it would hurt voter registration organizations, especially efforts to register voters of color, “by substantially increasing fines, shortening deadlines for voter registration forms and limiting who can assist with voter registration activities.”
Given his now dual role as presidential candidate and governor, Mr. DeSantis spent the morning in Tallahassee hearing clemency pleas from people convicted of felonies. At 6 p.m. ET, he is expected to join the platform’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk, on Twitter to discuss his candidacy.