Late last night it was reported that Casey DeSantis is at least considering a run for governor of Florida in 2026, after being pressured by donors to do so.
It’s not something she’s ever wanted to do and she realizes that when people ask her to run, it’s because her husband has done such a great job with the state that people want his legacy to continue uninterrupted.
Here’s more from NBC News:
Republican donors at a gathering last week in Palm Beach County openly discussed the prospect of Casey DeSantis’ running for governor in 2026, and for the first time, Florida’s first lady is seriously considering the idea.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, her husband, faces term limits and cannot seek re-election. There has long been speculation about whether Casey, a mainstay on the campaign trail for her husband, would herself one day run for office, but those plans seem to be coming closer to reality, five people directly familiar with the donor event and Casey DeSantis’ thought process told NBC News.
“I would say this: I have heard donors have been urging her to run and that while it’s not something she has wanted to do, they are causing her to at least stop and listen,” a source familiar with her thinking said.
Casey DeSantis couldn’t be reached for comment for this article.
Her entrance into the 2026 Republican primary field, which isn’t yet set, would have significant ripple effects across both the Florida and the national political landscapes, potentially setting up a proxy war between Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump.
The other Republican who has openly said he is considering a run for governor is Rep. Byron Donalds, a close Trump ally.
“It is a real possibility,” another person familiar with the conversations said of the chances Casey DeSantis runs for governor, though they noted they don’t know yet whether it’s a “probable scenario.”
Before the South Florida donor event last week, the prospect was mostly political conjecture. But even then, the idea had gotten enough traction that Casey DeSantis has had to address it.
“I will tell you this, when people talk about me running for governor, I think it speaks highly about the governor himself,” she told the “Conservative Review” podcast in May. “I think when people see me, it is because they are so happy about everything that this governor has done for the state of Florida.
“When people start talking about ‘Oh, you know, you should run,’ that’s because Gov. DeSantis is a rock star and that’s because people are so proud of everything that he’s done for this state,” she added.
Along with Donalds, state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson is also believed to be considering a run. Though he doesn’t have the national profile of either Casey DeSantis or Donalds, he is a well-known statewide elected official in Florida with upward of $30 million already in the bank from past fundraising efforts.
I have to think a lot of people who love what Governor DeSantis has done in Florida would rush to the polls to vote for her if she ran. I know I would. But these elections can get so nasty – which she’s no doubt seen up close – that I wonder if she’s even willing to put herself through that, especially given that Donalds would be her main competition and he’d be pretty popular.