If former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and their fellow Republican presidential hopefuls for 2024 want to get on the Florida primary ballot next March, state GOP Chair Christian Ziegler says they must first sign a loyalty pledge that endorses the eventual Republican nominee.
The Hill reported on Thursday that Ziegler's comments align with a Republican National Committee requirement that all candidates sign a loyalty pledge in support of the eventual GOP nominee in the general election, in order to get on the party's presidential primary debate stage, among other qualifying criteria.
"The pledge — which is word for word the same language as the RNC pledge — was requested and passed by our members to ensure maximum unity heading into the general election," Ziegler told The Hill.
"The days of party grifters such as Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger using Republican Party resources to secure a title and then weaponize that title against our own team must end," he said. "Contested primaries are part of the process, but we must always remember that the Democrats are the true threat to the America we love, and we must be unified to defeat every single one of them."
In addition to candidates assuring their support of the GOP nominee, the new oath, which was approved by the Republican Party of Florida last May, also requires them to pledge not to run as independent or third-party candidates, as reported Wednesday in Politico.
Failure to provide a signed, notarized pledge by Nov. 22 will likely cost a GOP presidential hopeful their spot in the March 19 Florida presidential primary, which is regarded as a "winner-take-all" contest. Being left off the Sunshine State's ballot could have significant consequences in what has evolved into a very crowded party race.
Not all GOP candidates have embraced the RNC's loyalty pledge. Both Trump and DeSantis, the primary race's current two front-runners, have remained noncommittal about backing the eventual GOP nominee.
Last month, candidate Chris Christie told CNN that the RNC's requirement to sign a pledge was "a useless idea" that only became a necessity in "the era of Trump." Another candidate, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, outright refused to do so, telling CNN, "I won't be signing any kind of pledges, and I don't think that parties should be trying to rig who should be on a debate stage."