Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis clarified on Tuesday that despite popular demand, his wife, Casey, will not run for his job after his second term ends in 2026.
“It’s not something that she’s seeking out. I think a lot of people are just concerned about the future of the state. But this is not anything new,” the governor said during an interview on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle.
According to an April poll from Florida Atlantic University and Mainstreet Research, about 38 percent of Republican voters support Casey DeSantis in a hypothetical primary match-up.
“People have been asking her to do this for a long time. But she’s not seeking to do anything. But it’s flattering that people are asking her to do it,” added the Florida governor, who is serving his second consecutive term.
“She’s obviously a great wife and mother to three kids. And she has an inspirational story of overcoming cancer diagnosis, fighting through that, and coming out stronger on the other end,” he told Laura Ingraham. “And, you know, she’s one of the rare political spouses, even though I’m probably the most conservative governor in the country, she may even be more conservative than me.”
In the meantime, DeSantis has other, more willing successors. Rep. Byron Donalds and Rep. Jared Moskowitz have both tentatively thrown their hats in the ring. Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson is believed to be considering launching a campaign.
This is not the first time that DeSantis has debunked speculation that his wife might be interested in running for governor.
In May 2024, he said: “If I had to characterize her interest in getting into the political thicket as a candidate, I would characterize it as zero. 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,” Newsweek reported.
Florida’s first lady herself denied any interest and told the Conservative Review in May of last year: ”That is a very humbling thing. And I will tell you this, when people talk about me running for governor, I think it speaks highly about the governor himself. 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.”
“This state is thriving because not only is he the smartest guy in the room, but he’s also a guy that has a lot of courage and strength, and he, frankly, is my hero. And so when people start talking about, ‘Oh, you should run,’ that’s because Governor DeSantis is a rock star, and that’s because people are so proud of everything he’s done for this state.”
