• Evan Power, the Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, declared his candidacy for the state party chairmanship on Monday. 
• Power emphasized the need for prompt and efficient leadership transition in preparation for the 2024 elections, with endorsements from figures including Senator Marco Rubio.
• The incumbent chairman, Ziegler, has been censured by the party’s Executive Board due to an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual battery.

Evan Power, Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, announced his intention to run for the state party’s chairmanship on Monday, as the current chairman, Christian Ziegler, is beleaguered with a sexual assault investigation.

The state GOP’s executive committee is scheduled to meet on Jan. 8, where they will first decide on Ziegler’s role in the party moving forward and potentially vote on Power’s election as the new chairman.

In his announcement, Power highlighted the urgency of leadership change, stating his readiness to lead the party to victory in the upcoming elections.

“It is imperative we move the party forward quickly and efficiently,” said Power. “With the 2024 elections less than a year away we need to hit the ground running. On January 8th, I will ask my fellow RPOF members to entrust me with the responsibility to lead our republican team to victory.”

Power also told The Capitolist on Tuesday that he has an endorsement from Florida Senator Marco Rubio and will be rolling out more in the coming days.

In an interview conducted earlier this year, Power told The Capitolist that his vision for the party moving forward consists of building permanent voter infrastructure and continuing to turn out voters at a higher rate than Democrats.

“Florida is the beacon of freedom for the rest of the nation and we need to continue to push that success to local levels,” he said.

Power and Ziegler ran against each other earlier this year for the Chair position, with the latter emerging victorious with a 126-100 vote tally.

Ziegler, embroiled in controversy following allegations of sexual battery, has been sidelined by the party’s Executive Board. In a meeting on Sunday, the board voted to strip Ziegler of his authority, reducing his annual salary to $1 and removing him from key operational roles within the party.

The controversy surrounding Ziegler stems from a police investigation that was revealed through a search warrant for his telephone. It involves allegations of a sexual encounter, which included Ziegler and his wife, Bridget — a Mom’s For Liberty co-founder — with a woman who claimed Ziegler sexually assaulted her on Oct. 2. Ziegler has denied any wrongdoing.

Swaths of statewide Republican leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and both U.S. senators from Florida have called for Ziegler’s resignation.