Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) dismissed talk of his wife seeking his office in 2026 despite a poll showing her leading Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who’s been floated as a candidate, in a hypothetical poll.
Casey DeSantis was a fixture on the campaign trail alongside her husband during his unsuccessful presidential bid, which ended in January, with some outlets dubbing her his “not-so-secret campaign weapon.” Asked about a Florida Atlantic University poll released last month that showed her leading Gaetz in a race for governor, Ron DeSantis said his wife has “zero” interest.
“If I had to characterize her interest in getting into the political thicket as a candidate, I would say, I would characterize it as zero,” Ron DeSantis said at an event on Monday. “But, you know, I think it’s because she has had a front-row seat on all the nonsense that goes on when you do it.”
The survey from FAU showed Casey DeSantis leading Gaetz 37.6% to 16.1%, with 25.8% saying they were unsure and 20.5% saying they’d prefer another candidate.
Ron DeSantis added he believes the reason his wife has been floated as a gubernatorial candidate is because of her work as first lady.
“Just look at Hope Florida. Forget about all the stuff she’s done with mental health in schools, with helping get substance abuse, which has been serious, but Hope Florida alone. It’s been one of the more successful programs to deal with social problems that we can see in modern history,” he said.
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Ron DeSantis, who was reelected in a landslide in 2022, is term-limited and cannot seek a third term in 2026.
Some of the other names floated as gubernatorial candidates on the GOP side include Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.
