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By Andrew Stanton
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GOP Florida lawmaker Debbie Mayfield accused Governor Ron DeSantis of targeting her for endorsing President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primaries.
Newsweek reached out to DeSantis and Mayfield's offices for comment via email.
Why It Matters
DeSantis ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but struggled to win over Republican voters against Trump, whose popularity with the GOP base helped him easily win the nomination. DeSantis is viewed as a potential candidate in 2028 but has faced a rebellion back home, where some Republican legislators have turned on him.
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What to Know
Mayfield, a current member of the state House who was previously the majority leader in the state Senate, was disqualified from making another play at the Senate by the secretary of state's office.
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The office said another run would violate the state's constitutionally mandated term limit laws, as she already served eight years in the state Senate from 2016 to 2024, according to a report from Florida Politics.
While the Florida State Department believes her previous service would be disqualifying, Mayfield believes the law would allow her to run again because there is a gap between her last term and when her next term would begin.
She wrote in a post to X (formerly Twitter) that the decision from the State Department amounts to retaliation.
". He has weopanized [sic] the Department of State just like Biden weopanized the DOJ against @realDonaldTrump The law is on my side and we will fight for the people of Brevard," she posted.
Florida Politics described the State Department's decision to disqualify Mayfield as a "break in precedent from more than three decades of interpretation of the law," passed in a 1992 amendment.
The Tallahassee Democrat published the letter from the Florida State Department informing Mayfield of her disqualification.
It cites Article VI, section 4 of the Florida constitution, which states that a person cannot "appear on the ballot for re-election" to several offices, including Florida senator "if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will have served (or, but for resignation, would have served) in that office for eight consecutive years."
What People Are Saying
Consultant Anthony Pedicini to Florida Politics: "I thought the Secretary of State's duty was secretarial not legal."
Politico reporter Gary Fineout on X: "This could be a big deal. Mayfield was one of more than a dozen legislators who flipped their endorsement from DeSantis to Trump in late 2023. Additionally, the Dept of State has routinely asserted that it has a 'ministerial' role and has a limited role in qualification process."
What Happens Next
Mayfield suggested she would challenge the ruling. The race is to replace State Senator Randy Fine, who is running to replace National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in Congress.
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