What Happens if DeSantis Runs for President?

According to the “Resign-to-Run” law, DeSantis is expected to resign if he’s interested in a federal, state, or local office.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to announce his presidential bid in the coming months.

The governor of Florida is expected to be the top rival of former President Donald Trump.

In fact, the possibility that DeSantis could run for the presidency was one of the controversies in the only debate between the candidates for governor during the last midterm elections.

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“Why don’t you look in the eyes of the people of the State of Florida and say to them, if you’re reelected, you will serve a full four-year term as governor? Yes or no, Ron?” Democratic rival Charlie Crist asked. DeSantis avoided the question.

According to the “Resign-to-Run” law, DeSantis is expected to resign if he’s interested in a federal, state, or local office.

The resignation should occur no later than 10 days before qualifying for the federal office.

The Florida Constitution states that upon vacancy in the governor’s office, the lieutenant governor shall become governor.

 Jeanette Nuñez (R-Miami) has held that position since 2019.

Currently, DeSantis is focused on expanding his conservative agenda with the GOP-controlled legislative session.

He was originally expected to make the announcement between spring and summer. However, recent information suggests that the governor will wait until the end of the legislative session to do so.

One of the reasons could be that the GOP lawmakers will help DeSantis with his presidential aspirations without the need to resign from his position, as Florida House Speaker Paul Renner hinted at in an interview. 

Renner (R-D19) said it was a “great idea” to review and revise the law. 

Florida has changed the state’s “Resign-to-Run” law twice over the previous 15 years.

RELATED: Florida Lawmakers Aim to Change Law so DeSantis Can Run for President Without Resigning as Governor

The first time was in 2007, when then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist was a potential running mate for 2008 Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain. Lawmakers changed the law so Crist could accept the invitation without resigning. In the end, the invitation never came.

Then, in 2018 Crist’s successor, Rick Scott, signed into law the current version of the state’s law, which requires the resignation of the current office.