FL GOP Chair Christian Ziegler Won’t Resign After Rape Accusation

SARASOTA, FL — The chairman of the Republican Party of Florida said he won’t resign after being accused of rape.

Sarasota’s Christian Ziegler has maintained his innocence since the allegations were made public.

The victim, a woman, claimed she had been involved in an ongoing three-way sexual relationship with both Christian and his wife, Bridget Ziegler, a Sarasota County school board member and Moms for Liberty co-founder.

In a statement sent to Florida Republicans Saturday, Ziegler said he and his wife are being targeted because they are “such loud political voices.”

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According to a search warrant, the victim agreed to meet Christian Ziegler in early October, thinking that his wife would join them, Politico reported. She canceled when she learned that Bridget Ziegler wouldn’t be there.

Christian Ziegler went to the woman's home alone anyway, where he had sex with her without a condom. The woman told a relative she was raped and was “distraught,” reports said.

While the accusations are being investigated, no charges have been filed against Christian Ziegler.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has said the party chairman should resign while he’s under investigation.

“He’s innocent till proven guilty, but we just can’t have a party chair that is under that type of scrutiny,” DeSantis said. “The mission is more important.”

The Republican Party of Florida called for a special meeting to consider Christian Ziegler’s future in a leadership position for the party. The meeting will take place Dec. 17 at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando.

In an email, the GOP vice chair, Evan Power, told the Miami Herald that he has a “heavy heart” and initially asked Ziegler to call an executive board meeting to discuss the matter. Ziegler declined, though, saying that it could wait until February.

“It is the opinion of the many members that is not an acceptable timetable,” Power wrote.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.