The Republican Party of Florida voted to remove Chairman Christian Ziegler on Monday after he was accused of sexual assault just before a contentious election year.
“We have to move past this and have to focus on 2024,” state Sen. Joe Gruters, Ziegler’s predecessor, said in a statement prior to the meeting. “Florida’s one of the most important states for the Republicans and we have to continue to bring home victories, especially for Rick Scott and the top of the ticket with Trump as our nominee, eventually.”
The state party will also vote on its next chairman on Monday, with Vice Chairman Evan Power and National Committeeman Peter Feaman vying for the position.
Read: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz Calls For Hearing On Secretary Lloyd Austin’s Hospitalization Hush
Ziegler was censured and stripped of powers as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida on Sunday, December 17th.
The move came as he sought to maintain the $120,000-a-year leadership post amid an investigation into an alleged sexual battery.
As the Tampa Free Press reported, Ziegler has been the subject of an investigation by the Sarasota Police Department since Oct. 4, when he was accused of an alleged sexual assault by a woman who had been romantically involved with Ziegler and his wife, Bridget Ziegler.
Christian Ziegler has called the sexual-assault allegations “false” and said the encounter was consensual, while rejecting calls to exit the party chairmanship.
Bridget Ziegler, who helped organize the Moms For Liberty conservative political group, is not involved in the criminal complaint.
But she has faced calls to step down from her elected seat on the Sarasota County School Board and from her appointed position on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors, which helps govern property that includes Walt Disney World. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the Central Florida board.
While former President Donald Trump has not weighed in on the situation, many leading Florida Republicans called for Christian Ziegler to step down as the 2024 election cycle begins to heat up.
Read: Top Strategist For Florida Gov. DeSantis PAC Resigns Just Weeks Before Iowa Caucus
DeSantis, while campaigning for president in Johnston, Iowa, reiterated his view that Christian Ziegler should step down but didn’t take a stance about Bridget Ziegler.
“I called on Christian to step down as RPOF chairman. My understanding is he’s the one that’s under the criminal cloud,” DeSantis said. “Clearly, I think Bridget, and this is somebody that I’ve worked with and I’ve really liked the work she’s done, I mean, she’s gonna have to look to see how effective that she’s going to be able to be in those circumstances.”
Christian Ziegler, with the backing of Trump supporters, won the party chairmanship in February over Power, the Leon County Republican Party chairman who had backing from supporters of DeSantis. Trump and DeSantis are battling for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
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