Andrew Warren, Tampa prosecutor ousted by DeSantis, will not run again
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Former Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren in August 2022 announcing a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis over the governor's move to suspend Warren from office. Photo: Octavio Jones/Getty Images
Andrew Warren, the Tampa prosecutor ousted by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022, will not seek reelection.
Driving the news: Warren, a Democrat elected in 2016 and 2020 by Hillsborough County voters, announced Monday that he decided to bow out of the November election because DeSantis "could suspend me again for whatever reason he wanted."
- "The governor has made clear that he does not care about the will of the voters or our democracy and that he is willing to break state and federal law to keep me from serving as state attorney," Warren said.
Why it matters: That leaves Suzy Lopez, the former county judge DeSantis appointed in Warren's place, as the lone candidate in the race. Lopez, a Republican, filed paperwork in July to seek election. If no one challenges her before the qualifying deadline in April, she'll keep her job without an election.
- "The people of Hillsborough County deserve a state attorney who will follow and uphold the law," Lopez told the Tampa Bay Times in a statement. "That is the kind of state attorney I have been and will continue to be."
- DeSantis' office did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
Catch up fast: DeSantis' August 2022 executive order suspending Warren cited statements the prosecutor signed pledging not to criminalize abortion and gender-affirming medical care. "Not enforcing the law — that's a neglect of duty," the governor said at the time.
- Warren in turn sued DeSantis in federal court, accusing the governor of violating his First Amendment rights.
- A federal judge ruled last January that the governor had violated Warren's rights but that the court didn't have the power to restore him to office. Warren has appealed.
- A separate challenge he filed in state court was thrown out last summer by the conservative-leaning Florida Supreme Court.
State of play: Lopez and a political action committee supporting her campaign had raised more than $100,000 as of September. She's garnered endorsements from Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister and the Florida Police Benevolent Association, Florida Politics reported.
- While Warren filed election paperwork in October, a spokesman told the Tampa Bay Times it was a way "to keep multiple options on the table while he determines his next steps." His campaign finance account had no balance as of Monday.
- No Democrats have announced their intention to run. The Florida Democratic Party is "focused on recruiting a highly qualified state attorney candidate to give Floridians a choice and a fighting chance," chair Nikki Fried told Axios in a statement.
The intrigue: Another Democratic prosecutor suspended by DeSantis, Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell, is running to regain her post and had raised more than $130,0000 as of September.
- The governor in suspending Worrell accused her of policy choices he said allowed "violent offenders, drug traffickers, serious juvenile offenders and pedophiles to evade incarceration."
Reality check: An Orlando Sentinel investigation found that, in many cases cited by DeSantis, Worrell didn't seek prosecution because of flawed police work, not policy choices.
What they're saying: "As I've said since the day I was illegally suspended," Warren said Monday, "this was about more than me."