Associated Press
The Republican Party of Florida voted Friday against requiring candidates running in the state’s presidential primary to pledge to support the eventual nominee, ensuring former President Donald Trump won’t have to sign an oath to compete in the March election alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The decision is seen as a victory for Trump, who has refused to take a similar pledge required for candidates to participate in national GOP debates. The state party had just instituted the pledge requirement in May.
Since then, Trump has maintained dominance over the Republican field while DeSantis, whom he has long targeted as his chief rival, has faltered and had to lay off dozens of staffers. Trump and DeSantis have a particularly fierce rivalry in their shared home state of Florida.
The oath requirement would have forced primary candidates to back the eventual nominee in order to get placed on the ballot. Had Trump been excluded from the primary ballot, he might not have been able to run on the Republican line in the November general election.
Former state GOP chairman and state Sen. Joe Gruters asked that the requirement be removed during a party meeting Friday. Gruters is a longtime Trump supporter and is one of the few Republican Florida lawmakers to back the former president over DeSantis.
“By putting this in place, whether it was intentional or not, the party looks like it was favoring a certain candidate,” Gruters said. “This has turned into a proxy battle — the Trump world versus the DeSantis world.”
Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment about the vote, but members of Trump’s campaign team shared posts on X, the site formally known as Twitter, written by others that cast the vote as a win for Trump.
Gruters said the requirement also would have violated Republican National Committee rules preventing states from changing the nomination process within two years of an election. But RNC rules give individual state parties until Oct. 1 to decide their plans for how they will nominate delegates who formally choose a presidential nominee.
“When people say, ‘Well, Trump doesn’t want to sign the loyalty oath,’ it’s not about that. It’s about the party putting up artificial roadblocks that didn’t exist four months ago,” Gruters said.
11 comments
Richard Russell
September 16, 2023 at 10:31 am
So if God forbid Christy won the GOP nomination and was running in the General Election against RFK, Jr. by signing the Pledge to get on the Primary Ballot, Trump would have to support Christy! Trump is not your lame phony politician, who will say whatever it takes to get elected! That is just one of a myriad of reasons why Trump is our only hope to save America for Americans.
Silly Wabbit
September 16, 2023 at 10:42 am
You kwazy.
Tjb
September 16, 2023 at 11:47 am
Not only kwazy.
Designation: Sexual Predator
Name: Richard Lee Russell Jr
Status: Released – Subject to Registration
Dept of Corrections #: W02875
Date of Birth: 07/30/1966
Race: White
Sex: Male
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 260 lbs
PeterH
September 16, 2023 at 12:33 pm
8% of the American people are convicted felons. Most of these felons live in red states and associate and sympathize with Trump and the GOP. Florida has its fair share of felons….. it’s their last great hope.
My Take
September 16, 2023 at 11:42 am
What was the big deal with his just signing.
He lies about everything else.
PeterH
September 16, 2023 at 12:27 pm
These “locality oaths” are an embarrassment to the Republican Party. Whoever encouraged them should be fired and I’ll bet they will disappear in future elections.
PeterH
September 16, 2023 at 12:28 pm
Loyalty
My Take
September 16, 2023 at 3:49 pm
A traitor signing a loyalty oath wouldn’t be worth much.
Jim
September 17, 2023 at 12:06 pm
Hello AP! Florida is not Drumpf’s “home state,” it’s where his primary residence is.
Gross Christ Lovers
September 17, 2023 at 5:35 pm
A rare moment of Christian honesty;
“We are not loyal”
Earl Pitts "The Big Voice On The Right" American
September 18, 2023 at 9:44 am
Goot mornting America,
The whole ” Loyalty Oath” thing was a 100% poisin pill initially put in place by the Dook 4 Brains RINO leadership of the Florida Republican Party.
I, Earl Pitts American, was against it from the start because I, Earl Pitts American, can smell Dook 4 Brains RINO and/or Leftist flatulance from a mile away.
In a way I, Earl Pitts American, am glad the RINO’s in the Florida Republican Party finally relented to my superior wisdom, extream good looks, and charm BUT in a way I, Earl Pitts American, am still whizzed off at those RINO’s and in the process of planning a retalatiry attack on them to teach them a much needed lesson in respect for their betters: namely in respect for me, Earl Pitts American.
Thank you to all my beloved followers in The Earl Pitts American Fan Club. And I am proud to be the draw that brings in over 85% of all readers here just to see my take on current trends in politics and to keep up with who Earl is currently whizzed off at and railing on with my superior intelect.
Thank you beloved fans,
Earl Pitts American
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