Ron DeSantis said in his resignation letter that he did not want to continue getting a salary because he will “likely miss the vast majority of our remaining session days.” | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images DeSantis steps down from Congress to focus on governor's race

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis, one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest congressional allies, announced Monday that he is resigning his seat to focus on his campaign for Florida governor, a race that was fueled by Trump and has quickly become one of the most-watched gubernatorial battles of 2018.

The three-term congressman said the move was needed because it’s “inappropriate” for him to continue to draw his $174,000-per-year salary while he's on the campaign trail and missing official congressional business. It’s a message in line with the fiscally conservative persona DeSantis has cultivated in Congress and on the campaign trail.


“As the Republican nominee for governor of Florida, it is clear to me that I will likely miss the vast majority of our remaining session days for this Congress,” DeSantis wrote in his resignation letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan. “Under these circumstances, it would be inappropriate for me to accept a salary.”

The resignation was effective Sept. 1.

DeSantis, a Navy veteran and JAG officer, was focused largely on his primary fight against Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam for the past few months. During the first several months of his primary campaign, DeSantis missed less than 10 percent of congressional votes, but that number spiked to 53 percent from July through September, according to GovTrack.

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DeSantis’ resignation deprives Trump of a key ally on the Hill, but it will also allow DeSantis to miss at least a handful of votes that could prove politically tricky in his general election battle against Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum. The federal government, for instance, is set to run out of money in September, which could again set up a contentious vote over keeping the lights on or forcing another government shutdown.

Trump, who has called DeSantis a “warrior,” has expressed indifference to the notion of a shutdown, indicating he is willing to force one if he does not get support for his proposed wall along the southern border.

“If it happens, it happens,” Trump said last week. “If it’s about border security, I’m willing to do anything.”

In the primary election, DeSantis’ most frequent talking point was about his endorsement from Trump, who both tweeted his support and held a rally for DeSantis in Tampa. DeSantis’ campaign got national attention for a TV ad featuring his toddler building a wall with cardboard blocks, a signal of how closely DeSantis wanted to tether himself to the president.

“Build the wall,” DeSantis says to his daughter in the ad.

Though Florida primary voters remain very supportive of Trump, that close relationship will be viewed differently in a general election, and DeSantis tying himself to a Trump-driven government shutdown would almost assuredly be used against him on the campaign trail.

Democrats nevertheless seized on the resignation, using it as a chance to re-up the talking points they will use to characterize DeSantis as too conservative for Florida’s general election electorate.

“Ron DeSantis’ entire political career has been about helping one person: Ron DeSantis,” Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo said in a statement. “In Washington, Ron DeSantis voted to take away health care coverage from millions of people while he showered President Trump with praise on Fox News.”

DeSantis formally shut down his campaign account in July after spending the fund down to $15 cash on hand. Most of his excess funds were transferred to the Republican Party of Florida, which will be heavily involved in his gubernatorial bid.

DeSantis’ 6th Congressional District includes a coastal slice of Northeast Florida just south of Jacksonville. In the race to replace him, former Clinton administration staffer Nancy Soderberg is facing Republican Michael Waltz, a businessman and former Green Beret.

It’s unlikely a special election will be called, meaning the seat will remain vacant until January.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Rizzo's name.