Florida GOP strips chair Christian Ziegler of power and pay amid rape allegation, sex scandal
Ziegler denies the rape accusation but admits to other sexual conduct the Florida GOP says 'renders him unfit for the office'


The Republican Party of Florida's executive committee voted unanimously Sunday to strip party chair Christian Ziegler of most of his responsibilities and all but $1 of his $124,000 compensation after he refused to step down amid a rape allegation and the acknowledged extramarital sexual activity it uncovered. The executive committee censured Ziegler for engaging in "conduct that renders him unfit for the office," and scheduled a Jan. 8 meeting in Tallahassee to decide his fate.
Ziegler "cannot morally lead the Republican Party forward," vice chair Evan Power said after Sunday's tense emergency meeting in Orlando. Power, who will temporarily assume most of the chair's duties, said if Ziegler doesn't resign before the Jan. 8 meeting, the party will remove him then. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and other top Florida Republicans have called for Ziegler to step aside for the good of the GOP.
Police in Sarasota are investigating an allegation that Ziegler raped an unidentified woman on Oct. 2. Ziegler, 40, maintains that the sex — originally proposed to include his wife, Bridget Ziegler, according to court documents — was consensual. Ziegler, his wife and the woman all acknowledged they had a three-way sexual encounter a year ago. The rape investigation is ongoing and Ziegler has not been charged with a crime.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bridget Ziegler, a cofounder of the conservative group Moms for Liberty and a member of the Sarasota County School Board and the DeSantis-appointed Disney World district oversight board, has also faced reputation fallout from the scandal. She was the lone vote last week against a 4-1 school board motion that called for her to resign.
Moms for Liberty said earlier this month that Bridget Ziegler left the group nearly three years ago, though she participated in a media training session for the organization at its national conference last summer, The New York Times reported. "Never apologize. Ever," she told Moms for Liberty members facing public outrage over a local chapter quoting Adolf Hitler in a newsletter. "I think apologizing makes you look weak." The chapter, the Times noted, "eventually apologized."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
How did Qatar become the world's peacemaker?
Today's Big Question Strong relationships, ideological pragmatism and neutral positioning has made the tiny Gulf state 'the diplomatic capital of the world'
-
The Macrons v. Candace Owens: consequences for conspiracy theorists?
Talking Point French president and his wife are suing the right-wing influencer over bizarre claims Brigitte Macron was born a man
-
Sudoku medium: July 29, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Emil Bove: The start of a MAGA judiciary?
Feature President Trump's former personal attorney is on the verge of being confirmed by Senate Republicans
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election
-
Trump administration releases MLK files
Speed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Speed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office
-
President diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency'
Speed Read The vein disorder has given Trump swollen ankles and visible bruising on his hands