Florida Might Change a State Law So Ron DeSantis Can Run for President and Be Governor at the Same Time

Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Ron DeSantis

Florida's state legislature appears poised to change a rule that requires lawmakers running for a new office to resign from their current role — a law that could majorly impact the state's governor, Ron DeSantis, who recently won reelection to his post and is widely rumored to be mulling a 2024 presidential run.

Florida's so-called "Resign to Run" law dictates that a sitting lawmaker running for a different office, including a federal office, must submit an irrevocable written resignation "at least 10 days prior to the first day of qualifying for the office he or she intends to seek."

The law was changed in 2008 (the same year former Gov. Charlie Crist was considered for vice president) but it was put back in place in 2018, per Politico.

Speaking to reporters this week, the state's Senate President Kathleen Passidomo indicated that it would be "a good idea" to change the state law.

"If an individual who is Florida governor is running for president, I think he should be allowed to do it," Passidomo said, Politico reports. "I really do. That's a big honor and a privilege, so it is a good idea."

RELATED: Ron DeSantis Wins Second Term as Florida Governor, Beating Democratic Challenger Charlie Crist

Any changes to state election law would likely occur after March 2023, when the state's legislative session begins.

DeSantis won his bid for reelection earlier this month, easily triumphing over his opponent, Crist, who ran this year as a Democrat after years earlier serving as the state's Republican governor.

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DeSantis has downplayed rumors of a presidential run, saying such speculation is "purely manufactured," even as he governs in a similar style to Donald Trump, making sweeping pronouncements about "woke" culture and launching feuds with companies such as Disney.

After winning his reelection nearly 20 points ahead of his competitor, DeSantis has continued to sidestep questions about his political ambitions, saying "people just need to chill out" when asked about presidential run that might pit him against Trump.

But talk of his running for higher office has only grown in recent weeks, particularly as his popularity surged despite Republican losses in many parts of the country.

As a political source recently told PEOPLE, DeSantis "is popular with Florida Republican voters, which is a good indication of how he would do nationally. He is not afraid to speak out on unpopular issues, and even more important than that, he is not afraid of Donald Trump."

RELATED: Donald Trump Reportedly Thinks Ron DeSantis Is 'Stealing' His Speaking Style, Mannerisms

Trump, it seems, has taken notice of DeSantis' rise in the Republican party. The former president has slowly begun to criticize the man who could become his political rival, referring to him as "Ron DeSanctimonious" in a recent rally and arguing he was disloyal in a recent post on his social media site, Truth Social.

"Ron DeSanctimonious is playing games! The Fake News asks him if he's going to run if President Trump runs, and he says, 'I'm only focused on the Governor's race, I'm not looking into the future.' Well, in terms of loyalty and class, that's really not the right answer," Trump posted earlier this month.

Just last week, Trump officially announced that he would run for the presidency in 2024 — declaring his candidacy amid numerous legal troubles, including investigations into his conduct on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on his behalf in an attempt to stop Joe Biden's election victory from being certified, and his handling of classified documents after leaving office.