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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Accused of Election Manipulation

ORLANDO, Fla. — A lawsuit has emerged alleging that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, along with several Republican officials, conspired to eliminate competition for Andrew Bain, his appointee as State Attorney for the central Florida district, and to prevent former Democratic State Attorney Monique Worrell from reclaiming her position. Worrell had been suspended from her role by DeSantis last year, a move that critics regarded as politically motivated.

The lawsuit, filed by Thomas Feiter—a Republican candidate who lost the GOP primary to Seth Hyman—claims that the Republican Party knowingly supported Hyman’s candidacy despite plans for him to withdraw from the general election once he secured the primary victory.

Recently, Hyman officially exited the race, endorsing Bain, who is running as an independent candidate. Meanwhile, Worrell is seeking to return to office and is running as the Democratic candidate. Notably, the state GOP did not select a replacement for Hyman on the general election ballot, leading to questions about the party’s strategy.

The lawsuit describes the actions of the Republican officials as a deliberate attempt to manipulate election outcomes to ensure Bain remained in office. It contends that this alleged conspiracy constitutes election fraud, violations of Florida’s election laws, and the corrupt influence of voting practices. The suit seeks to invalidate the results of the GOP primary based on accusations of misconduct and fraud.

In response to the lawsuit, Hyman dismissed the claims as “completely frivolous,” stating that it represents an improper use of the judicial system. Meanwhile, Bain’s campaign declined to comment, and the governor’s office did not respond to inquiries regarding the allegations.

Governor DeSantis has previously criticized Worrell, claiming that she failed to adequately prosecute offenses involving minors and did not pursue mandatory minimum sentences for gun-related crimes, which he argued endangered the public in her district. However, Worrell contends that her suspension in August 2023 was a politically motivated act, occurring during DeSantis’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

Worrell asserts that the Florida constitution permits the suspension of elected officials only in instances of significant misconduct, emphasizing that her decisions were within her professional judgment.

This case follows a previous incident last year, where DeSantis also suspended Andrew Warren, a Democratic State Attorney in Tampa, in response to Warren’s pledges not to press charges against individuals seeking or providing abortion or gender transition treatments. DeSantis’s opposition to Warren’s stance on prosecuting certain minor offenses was also a factor in that decision.

Source
abcnews.go.com