More than a month after a sex scandal exposed the rank hypocrisy of Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler and his wife Bridget, Ziegler has been ousted from his position. The couple framed themselves as anti-LGBTQ+ standard-bearers for conservative Christian family values. The Daily Beast reported that Ziegler did not appear at Monday’s closed-door meeting in Tallahassee, where an “overwhelming” number of party members voted to remove him as the state party chair.
Authorities are investigating allegations that Ziegler sexually assaulted a woman who had been previously involved in a consensual three-way relationship with Ziegler and his wife. Christian Ziegler has maintained his innocence and refused calls for him to step down.
Bridget Ziegler was the co-founder of Moms for Liberty, the anti-LGBTQ+ conservative group that has supported school book bans. She has also been under pressure from fellow conservative members of the Sarasota School Board to resign but remains in her post, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.
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Christian Ziegler was replaced with Vice Chair Evan Power, a lobbyist and political consultant, the Herald-Tribune reported. The newspaper said that among those attending the meeting were U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz and Byron Donalds. The Herald-Tribune wrote:
The rape allegation has roiled the Florida GOP as it tries to gear up for the 2024 election, with Gov. Ron DeSantis and every other statewide elected official calling on Ziegler to step down as Florida GOP chair. …
The Zieglers were a Florida GOP power couple before the sex scandal upended their political careers. They were leading advocates for DeSantis’ culture war agenda, particularly around LGBTQ issues in schools. Bridget Ziegler campaigned with DeSantis during their 2022 re-election bids and was with the governor when he signed legislation derided by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
After years of moral crusading by the Zieglers and Florida GOP leaders, the moral questions raised by the police investigation into Christian Ziegler have prompted calls of hypocrisy that threatened to engulf the Florida GOP heading into another critical election year. That may be why Republicans moved so quickly to oust Ziegler and replace him.
The scandal has clearly done some harm to the Republican Party of Florida, which had been riding high since DeSantis won an overwhelming victory in the 2022 gubernatorial race. Since then, DeSantis’ reputation has suffered due to his anti-woke agenda and his passage of an extreme six-week abortion ban. His once-heralded presidential campaign is now on life support.
Florida GOP leaders expressed relief over Ziegler’s ouster. State Rep. Spencer Roach told the Herald-Tribune: “We have finally turned the page from disgraced and now-former Chairman Ziegler. It is time to focus on regaining the trust of Florida voters as the party of family values. We now begin the hard work of fundraising, voter registration, and voter turnout for a consequential election that’s only 11 months away.”
Florida Democrats, however, don’t feel that Ziegler’s removal has changed the fabric of Florida Republicans, The Washington Post reported:
“It’s a problem with the brand of who the Florida Republicans are,” Democratic state chairman Nikki Fried said at a news conference ahead of the beginning of the state legislative session beginning Tuesday. “The hypocrisy of this moment and the fact that they are still pushing this agenda, they haven’t learned their lesson. Regardless of who is chair of this party, their moral compass is completely broken.”
The vote to oust Ziegler came five weeks after he was accused of rape on Nov. 30. According to affidavits, another three-way was planned on the night of the alleged rape, but Bridget Ziegler couldn’t be there and Christian Ziegler turned up at the woman’s apartment anyway, news outlets have reported. That is when the alleged rape occurred, which Ziegler says was consensual sex.
The Herald-Tribune also reported that Christian Ziegler is being investigated for video voyeurism after recording the Oct. 2 sexual encounter. The police investigation is continuing. So far, Ziegler has not been charged with any crimes.
At a Dec. 17 emergency meetingthe Florida GOP’s executive board voted unanimously to reduce Ziegler’s six-figure salary to $1 and strip him of his powers, but he still refused to step down despite calls to do so from DeSantis and Gaetz, Rolling Stone reported. A meeting was then set for Jan. 8 to vote on removing him from his post.
RELATED STORY: Florida Republican Party suspends chairman and demands his resignation amid rape investigation
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