The Florida Republican Party has officially expelled former chairman Christian Ziegler, who was embroiled in a rape allegation.
At an emergency meeting Monday, the party voted to promote Evan Power, who previously served as vice chair, to replace Ziegler.
“Congratulations to our new Chairman @EvanPower. Under his strong leadership, we will keep Florida red, deliver Florida's 30 electors to the Republican presidential candidate, and elect a Republican on the ballot.” Let's get started! Parties wrote about X.
Mr. Power had assumed many of Mr. Ziegler's duties after the party relieved the former chairman of his duties last month amid controversy. He began his candidacy for the chairman position last month.
Mr. Ziegler previously defeated Mr. Power in a battle for the Florida Republican Party chairmanship last year and took over as chairman last February.
In November, report revealed Ziegler was said to be under criminal investigation by Sarasota police.
A woman who claimed to have known the Zieglers for 20 years accused the Zieglers of raping her a month earlier, on October 2, 2023, inside their Sarasota home.
Ziegler has maintained his innocence and said his actions were consensual. At this time, he has not been charged with a crime.
The case drew national attention in part because his wife, Bridget Ziegler, is a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, which works to elect conservative mothers to school boards. It's the cause.
She has not been accused of wrongdoing in the case.
However, she admitted that about a year ago, she, her husband, and the alleged victim took part in a three-way sexual escapade. Politico reported.
Moms for Liberty co-founder says controversial parent education policy, called “don't say gay” by critics, limits classroom instruction on gender identity to third grade He won the victory by contributing to the formulation of the Rights Act.
Recently, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office began investigating whether Christian Ziegler illegally filmed the encounter. NBC reported.
Pressure has been mounting for weeks for Christian Ziegler to resign amid the scandal.
Top Florida Republicans, including Governor Ron DeSantis, Representative Matt Gaetz, Senator Marco Rubio, and Senator Rick Scott have urged him to resign.
Bridget Ziegler has navigated similar pressures surrounding her role on the Sarasota City School Board.
The newspaper has reached out to the Florida Republican Party for comment.
Christian Ziegler to be expelled as Republican Michigan voted over the weekend. Citing lackluster fundraising numbers, the company will oust its chairman, Cristina Karamo.
