Rep. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.) announced his immediate resignation from Congress on Monday in order to focus on the Florida gubernatorial race.
DeSantis has served in Congress since 2013, representing Florida's 6th Congressional District. He announced his candidacy to succeed Republican Gov. Rick Scott in January 2018, and this November, he faces Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D.) in a closely-watched race. Gillum has a slight lead on DeSantis in RealClearPolitics' latest polling.
In his resignation letter to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R., Wis.), DeSantis wrote, "As the Republican nominee for Governor of Florida, it is clear to me I will likely miss the vast majority of our remaining session days for this Congress. Under these circumstances, it would be inappropriate for me to accept a salary. In order to honor my principles and respect the taxpayers, I officially resign from the House of Representatives effective immediately."
DeSantis' resignation is retroactively effective as of Sept. 1 so that he will not receive a salary for the month.
Early in the letter, DeSantis referenced actions he has taken to save taxpayers' money. That included turning down the "healthcare subsidy for members of Congress" and fighting against a congressional pay raise. The Florida Republican's letter also states he "rejected his pay during government shutdowns" and "slept in [his] office to cut costs and be a more effective legislator."
He ended the letter by saying, "It has been an honor to serve the people of Florida's Sixth Congressional District, and I look forward to serving them and the rest of Florida as our state's next governor."
Florida voters will cast their ballots for governor on Nov. 6. Trump won the state in 2016 and has endorsed DeSantis. Gillum, who has touted his "unapologetic" progressive agenda, has been endorsed by former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.)
During the primary, Trump tweeted: "Congressman Ron DeSantis is a brilliant young leader, Yale and then Harvard Law, who would make a GREAT Governor of Florida. He loves our Country and is a true FIGHTER!"