Marco Rubio joins call for Christian Ziegler to resign or be forced out as Florida GOP Chair

Christian Ziegler and Marco Rubio. Photo via Ziegler's personal website ChristianGOP.com

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio says if Christian Ziegler won’t resign as Republican Party of Florida Chair, he should be removed.

The Miami Republican signaled his concerns about Ziegler’s leadership amid a sex scandal dominating headlines for more than two weeks.

“The conduct the Florida GOP Chair has now himself admitted to makes it impossible for him to continue in his position,” Rubio posted on X.

That means every statewide elected official in Florida, all Republicans, have now called for Ziegler to step down.

Gov. Ron DeSantis called for Ziegler to resign immediately after news broke he was under investigation for rape. Since then, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a longtime ally of Ziegler, has also called for the party leader to step aside.

Every member of the Florida Cabinet and leaders of the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature also joined the call for his departure, and so has U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, who gave Ziegler his start in politics on his campaign and congressional staff.

Rubio’s call comes days ahead of a meeting of the state party’s executive board to discuss sanctions. Notably, Rubio suggested the party follow a careful process with any discipline for Ziegler.

“If he refuses to unconditionally step down, he should be immediately suspended and then permanently replaced at the quarterly state party meeting next month,” Rubio posted.

The Senator weighed after news broke that Ziegler through personal emissaries requested a substantial buyout to step down, something the state Chair denies.

Ziegler has been under investigation since early October, when a woman told police the state Chair raped her in a Sarasota apartment. Ziegler admitted to having sex but said it was consensual. Over the course of the investigation, both Ziegler and his wife, Sarasota County School Board member Bridget Ziegler, told police they previously engaged in a threesome with the woman.

Digital communications show the woman intended to meet up with the couple for another three-way encounter, but told Christian Ziegler not to come over when she learned Bridget Ziegler would not be there. She said Christian Ziegler showed up anyway and forced her to have sex.

Video evidence obtained by police reportedly contradicts at least portions of the accuser’s account, but many Republican leaders say the activities the Zieglers already admitted to disqualify them from leadership posts.