DeSantis announces resignation from Congress
MIAMI — Rep. Ron DeSantis of Florida said on Monday he has resigned from Congress to devote himself to running for governor in one of the nation’s most closely watched midterm election contests.
Mr. DeSantis, a Republican, is locked in an intense battle with Mayor Andrew Gillum of Tallahassee, the Democratic nominee.
In a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan, Mr. DeSantis cited his likely absences for the rest of the congressional term as a reason to step down.
“Under these circumstances, it would be inappropriate for me to accept a salary,” he wrote. He made his resignation retroactive to Sept. 1. “This is not a decision I make lightly,” he said.
Mr. DeSantis, a threeterm congressman from the Sixth District, which includes the Daytona Beach area, routed the state’s agriculture commissioner, Adam Putnam, in the Florida primary two weeks ago. The Republican race was defined by President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Mr. DeSantis, a loyal acolyte.
Republicans in Washington said that, with the congressman’s seat set to be filled in the November general election, there would almost certainly be no special election to fill the vacancy. Running to replace him in the GOP-leaning seat are the Republican Michael Waltz and the Democrat Nancy Soderberg.
Mr. DeSantis’ decision was aimed in part at denying Mr. Gillum and Democrats ammunition about his missing votes. The Republican was absent for all 14 votes on the House floor last week and very likely would have missed dozens more between now and the election.
Mr. DeSantis’ advisers said he would now be able to spend all his time campaigning without having to confront criticism about wasting taxpayer money and not representing his constituents, a line of attack he implicitly sought to pre-empt in his letter of resignation.