Former Democratic State Attorney Andrew Warren announced on Monday that he will not be seeking reelection to the position he was suspended from by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in 2022.
Warren was suspended from his elected position as state attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit of Florida for saying he would not enforce some state laws on abortion and other crimes. In a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Monday, Warren said he would not seek reelection.
DeSantis broke our democracy, and it’s too fragile & too important to let him do it again. So I’ll take one for the team and not run for re-election as I keep fighting the illegal suspension (as a court ruled) to serve out my term on behalf of the community that elected me. pic.twitter.com/7QcNkwJhM6
— Andrew Warren (@AndrewWarrenFL) January 8, 2024
“DeSantis broke our democracy, and it’s too fragile & too important to let him do it again. So I’ll take one for the team and not run for re-election as I keep fighting the illegal suspension (as a court ruled) to serve out my term on behalf of the community that elected me,” Warren said.
Warren was elected as a prosecutor for the 13th Judicial Circuit of Florida in 2016, winning reelection in 2020. He was suspended by DeSantis in August 2022, with the Florida governor accusing Warren of neglecting his duty as state attorney.
Warren filed a lawsuit seeking to be reinstated, but a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying a federal court did not have the power to reinstate him. When Warren took his claims to the Florida Supreme Court, the high court declined to reinstate him, saying that he took too long to file his claim.
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DeSantis appointed Republican Susan Lopez as a replacement for Warren when he was suspended. Lopez is running for a full term to the office in 2024 and vowed to continue to “fight for crime victims and their families” in a statement issued on Monday.
“As your State Attorney, I remain focused on keeping Hillsborough safe. I will continue to fight for crime victims and their families. I will continue to work hand-in-hand with law enforcement. The people of Hillsborough County deserve a State Attorney who will follow and uphold the law. That is the kind of State Attorney I have been and will continue to be,” Lopez said.