A Florida prosecutor who was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for refusing to enforce state laws on abortion is running for re-election, he announced Tuesday.
DeSantis suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren (D) in 2022 for “neglect of duty” after the prosecutor refused to enforce bans on abortion and transgender surgery. Now, the ousted prosecutor is hoping to take back his job amid ongoing legal battles over his removal.
“In 2020, you reelected me to serve as your state attorney because you believed in my vision, and it worked. Crime went down 30 percent with the dangerous criminals off the street, and together with law enforcement and community partners, we made Hillsborough the safest large county in Florida,” he said in his announcement video.
“But on August 4, 2022, Ron DeSantis, threw out your vote. He illegally forced me from office under armed guard,” he added.
He will be running against State Attorney Susan Lopez (R), who was appointed to the role after Warren was suspended.
“But our fight is not over. My unelected replacement was handpicked, based on one qualification: her blind allegiance to Ron DeSantis. Today, I’m running for election as state attorney to serve the people, all of the people, of Hillsborough County,” he said.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that Warren announced in January he would not be running against Lopez amid the ongoing court case. In an interview with the newspaper, Warren pointed to a recent favorable ruling in his case as one of the reasons he changed his mind.
Warren filed a lawsuit against DeSantis citing violation of his First Amendment rights after he was suspended from his role. An appeals court earlier this year gave new hope to Warren after a federal judge tossed Warren’s lawsuit.
The three-judge appeals panel instead sent the case back and ordered the judge to reweigh his ruling because some of the activities he was suspended for were protected.
Ryan Smith, a senior strategist for Lopez’s campaign, took aim at Warren when reached for comment by the Hill about his reelection campaign.
“Andrew Warren is an ultra-liberal ideologue who cares more about pleasing the far-left activists and donors that have powered his political career than he does about victims of crimes in Hillsborough County. State Attorney Suzy Lopez is a career prosecutor with a proven track-record of getting violent criminals off our streets and delivering justice for victims and their families,” Warren said.
“The contrast is clear, it’s liberal politician Andrew Warren vs. hard-nosed career prosecutor Suzy Lopez. Without question, Hillsborough residents are Safer with Suzy,” he added.
The Hill has reached out to DeSantis’s office for comment.
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