Reps. Salzman and Rudman must resign before special election to fill Gaetz seat
Florida House of Representative members Michelle Salzman and Joel Rudman both announced this week they are running for the First Congressional District Seat left open with the resignation of former Congressman Matt Gaetz.
President-elect Donald Trump appointed Gaetz to be U.S. Attorney General and Gaetz resigned from Congress within hours of the announcement, which cleared the way for Gov. Ron DeSantis to call for a special election as required under the U.S. Constitution.
Salzman immediately announced she was contemplating a run and made it official on Tuesday. Rudman followed with his announcement Wednesday morning on X.
"I am running for Congress to ensure the voices of hardworking Floridians are heard loud and clear in Washington," Salzman said. "Our community deserves a leader who will stand up for conservative values, fight against government overreach, and prioritize the needs of our families, military and law enforcement. With a proven track record of delivering results, I'm ready to bring effective, principled leadership to the national state and put America first."
Salzman, an army veteran, was a Pensacola area volunteer and former president of the Escambia County Council of PTAs before she first ran for the statehouse in 2020. She just won re-election to the Florida House of Representatives for a third term in November.
"My years of service in the Florida Legislature have prepared me to tackle the challenges we face in Congress," Salzman said. "I've worked tirelessly to pass legislation that strengthens our economy, improves infrastructure and enhances public safety, all while ensuring government accountability. My experience as a veteran and a leader in our community has given me the skills to navigate complex issues, build coalitions and deliver real results for the people I serve.
Salzman, whose district covers the northern two-thirds of Escambia County, has built her network in Tallahassee and endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis in his presidential bid during the Republican primary. She has also been a vocal supporter of Trump and was one of Florida's alternate delegates to the RNC earlier this year.
Florida has a "resign-to-run" law, meaning that Salzman and Rudman must resign their positions in the Florida House of Representatives at least 10 days before the first day of qualifying for the special election begins. Under the law, the resignation is irrevocable.
Rudman, whose District 3 state House district encompasses most of Santa Rosa County and a large swath of northern Okaloosa County, said it was his intention to make his candidacy official Wednesday afternoon after tending to "a couple housekeeping items."
"I think people know from my limited time in the legislature that I'm no stranger to controversy. You know, I'm not afraid of a good fight. I think that's what the citizens of Northwest Florida want at the congressional level. They want someone to carry on the priorities and the attitude of a Matt Gaetz," Rudman said Wednesday. "People see me as the natural successor to Matt Gaetz."
Rudman and Salzman join a quickly growing list of congressional hopefuls that includes former U.S. Army Captain John Frankman, a Green Beret who was forced out of the military for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, Democrat Gay Valimont and non-party affiliate candidate Jonathan Green.
"I got into this race at state level because, as you remember, I was a doctor who was being persecuted for issues that could only be solved at the state level," Rudman said. "Well, now that I've completed that task during my first session, we passed the medical freedom law that was the first of its kind anywhere in the nation that protected doctors' rights of conscience as well as their rights to freedom of speech.
"So now I feel like I'm being called to the federal level. I feel like we've got to protect our borders. We've got to secure the border, we've got to strengthen our economy. We've got to encourage businesses to open businesses in America and employ Americans."
Republicans have a thin majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and will need every vote to pass any legislation. Republicans are aiming to fill the seat as fast as possible to shore up their majority.
Special elections to fill state and federal seats
In addition to the special election to fill Gaetz's Congressional seat, Salzman's and Rudman's decisions to run means there will also need to be a special election to fill their Florida House seats.
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd said last week that his office would announce an election date as soon as possible.
Here's the process for how a special election is scheduled for both seats:
- The governor issues an order declaring a fixed date the election shall be held.
- The Department of State prepares a notice that sets the dates for a four-day candidate qualifying period, and primary and general elections.
- County supervisors of elections shall publish the dates twice in a general circulation newspaper and their website at least 10 days before the start of the qualifying period.
- There must be a minimum of 14 days between the end of the qualifying period and the primary election.
- There is a minimum of 14 days between the primary and general elections.
- Ballots must be sent out 45 days before a primary or election to overseas and military voters and those who request mail-in ballots.
The upshot: If not for the mail-in ballot requirements, the quickest path to a special general election, once the governor sets the wheels in motion, could be six weeks, but it will likely be late winter or early spring before an election is held.
Paste BN Network reporter James Call contributed to this report.