Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis' press secretary, Christina Pushaw, announced on Friday that she is stepping down from her role effective immediately and will transition to a new position in DeSantis' reelection campaign, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
"I am proud to have been part of a team that has helped Floridians through historic challenges, and continues to deliver results that make life better for the people of our great state," she said in her resignation letter.
Spectrum News reports that she will serve as director of rapid response for the governor's reelection campaign.
Hired 15 months ago, Pushaw garnered national attention for her unconventional and inflammatory approach to the role of press secretary, the Sentinel reports.
The Washington Post recently said Pushaw "transformed the typically button-down role of gubernatorial press secretary into something like a running public brawl — with Twitter as her blunt-force weapon."
She was condemned by Democrats and LGBTQ groups for being one of the first GOP officials to label those opposed to Florida's "Parental Rights in Education Act" as "groomers," which is a term used to refer to sexual predators.
Additionally, Pushaw wondered publicly whether neo-Nazi demonstrators in Orlando were actually Democrats and promoted a conspiracy theory that tied new COVID-19 rules in the Republic of Georgia to the Rothschilds, according to the Sentinel.
She also wrote that the Food & Drug Administration wanted to "kill people to harm Republicans" when the agency halted the use of monoclonal antibody treatments endorsed by DeSantis.
Mac Stipanovich, a Tallahassee political consultant and never-Trumper Republican turned independent, told the Sentinel that Pushaw joining the campaign was "inevitable."
Though her tone likely won't change, "she no longer has the official imprimatur of the Executive Office of the Governor," Stipanovich said. "She is going to be working at the campaign, which, trust me on this, is a step down."
Pushaw confirmed to Spectrum that deputy press secretary Bryan Griffin will take over her role.
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