TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Republican Party of Florida has ousted Chairman Christian Ziegler and will replace him with a new leader as police investigate a rape accusation against him. Monday’s vote came a week before Gov. Ron DeSantis competes in Iowa’s first in the nation presidential caucuses. Ziegler denies the accusation, and he has not been charged with a crime. But the party suspended him last month and demanded his resignation, saying he can’t effectively lead during a critical election year. He has refused. Ziegler and his wife admitted to police that they previously had a consensual sexual relationship with Christian Ziegler’s accuser. His wife has not been accused of a crime.
