The Florida Republican Party’s executive committee voted to get rid of a controversial loyalty oath requirement for primary candidates.
Leaders of the Republican Party of Florida voted to eliminate a loyalty oath requirement for participation in the state’s primary, marking a victory for former President Donald Trump in his attempt to beat Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other challengers in the race for the 2024 nomination.
The former commander-in-chief said he wouldn’t sign such a pledge, which was added to the party bylaws just months ago. Now it won’t disqualify him as he gears up to compete in the delegate-rich state.
A spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis told The Epoch Times that the opposition to the pledge was surprising.
“We believe anyone who wants to run for president as a Republican should be willing to pledge their support for our eventual nominee. It is surprising that anyone interested in seeing the defeat of Joe Biden in 2024 would disagree,” Bryan Griffin, campaign press secretary for Ron DeSantis, said.
“Once Ron DeSantis secures the party’s nomination, we hope everyone in the field will join him in that fight,” Mr. Griffin said.
An official who was inside the party’s executive board meeting on Sept. 15 confirmed to The Epoch Times that the loyalty oath language was removed.
The vote played out behind closed doors in a small meeting room at the Rosen Centre Hotel on a Friday evening. The executive board meeting was part of the party’s larger Fall Quarterly Meeting.
Just after the meeting started, about 50-60 state party members who weren’t permitted to vote were booted from the room.
They and about 50-60 others, mostly Trump supporters, milled around a nearby hallway as members of the state party’s executive committee deliberated.
The atmosphere was tense. Trump supporters concerned that the loyalty pledge would hurt their candidate of choice stood out against the drab business suits. One woman wore a T-shirt reading, “Donald Trump Did Nothing Wrong!”
“If it wasn’t for Trump, he [DeSantis] wouldn’t be governor right now,” said another Trump supporter Debi Stolte of Altamonte Springs, Florida, in an interview with The Epoch Times.
“The reason why I’m here is because I need Trump on the ballot,” she continued.
By Nathan Worcester
