Loyalty pledge required for 2024 ballot dropped by Florida GOP, handing Trump a win

The Florida Republican Party is no longer requiring a loyalty pledge to qualify for the party's 2024 presidential primary ballot. 

The pledge would mandate that all candidates swear to support the GOP nominee in 2024. Former President Donald Trump has refused such pledges, so this is seen as a win for him, according to reports.

Other candidates, such as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, have shown signs of hesitancy to sign the pledge as well. 

Florida's GOP agreed to drop the pledge in a vote Friday.

“By putting this in place, whether it was intentional or not, the party looks like it was favoring a certain candidate,” state Sen. Joe Gruters said in a meeting, according to The Hill. 

Gruters said this decision had nothing to do with Trump and his refusal to sign the pledge. 

“When people say, ‘Well, Trump doesn’t want to sign the loyalty oath,’ it’s not about that. It’s about the party putting up artificial roadblocks that didn’t exist four months ago,” he said.