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Suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren announced Tuesday he’s running for re-election. This comes during a long legal battle with Governor Ron DeSantis.
Warren was suspended from the position in 2022 by DeSantis. DeSantis claimed that Warren refused to enforce certain laws.
“It was a politically motivated suspension that violated my constitutional rights to free speech because I had spoken out in a way that displeased the governor”.
At the time, DeSantis criticized Warren for signing a statement about avoiding enforcement of laws preventing abortions.
“I’m proudly and openly pro-choice”
Warren says the most recent change in his legal case against DeSantis was what led him to finally decide to run in the election.
“The federal court affirmed that the suspension was illegal, and that the courts have the power to reinstate me.”
Is Warren worried that if he gets elected, DeSantis will just suspend him again?
“I can’t speculate on what political stunts the governor may pull in the future, but after a court has said, clearly, that this was illegal, then intentionally violating some of these constitutional rights is a crime.
Current Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez is also running for the seat. The governor-appointed state attorney says she is not surprised by the announcement.
“Mr. Warren did file in October, so today is, quite frankly, another day at the office.”
Democratic candidate Elizabeth Martinez Strauss has also filed to run. The general election is November 5th.
