(Bloomberg) -- GOP Florida Representative Ron DeSantis said Monday he's resigning from Congress effective immediately as he focuses on his campaign for governor.
DeSantis announced his resignation in a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan and asked that it be made retroactive to Sept. 1.
"As the Republican nominee for governor of Florida, it is clear to me that I will likely miss the vast majority of our remaining session days for this Congress," DeSantis said in the letter. "Under these circumstances, it would be inappropriate for me to accept a salary."
DeSantis is running against Democratic nominee Andrew Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, to succeed Republican Governor Rick Scott, who is running for the U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Senator Bill Nelson.
A Quinnipiac University poll conducted Aug. 30 to Sept. 3 found the race is close, with 50 percent of likely voters backing Gillum and 47 percent supporting DeSantis.
To contact the reporter on this story: Arit John in Washington at ajohn34@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo
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