TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida is getting close to the end of his second term. He is talking up his wife, Casey DeSantis, as a possible successor in 2026. And he’s going after the person President Trump chose to be the next governor.
When reporters in Tampa asked DeSantis about his wife on Monday, he said that she was a strong conservative who would carry on his work and that the first lady of the state could get even more votes than he did. When he ran for re-election in 2022, DeSantis easily won by almost 20 points.
When talking about his wife, DeSantis said, “I think she has the guts and the commitment to conservative principles.” We believe she can take everything we’ve done to the next level.
A few days before, the president backed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida who has been a well-known Trump supporter on the campaign road and on cable news.
DeSantis said on Monday, “We’ve won in Florida.” “Someone like Byron hasn’t been a part of any of the victories we’ve had over the left in the last few years.”
Because of what DeSantis said, there could be a fight between the Republican governor and the president, who beat him badly last year for the Republican presidential ticket. DeSantis can’t serve another term, but he may run for president again in 2028. He has also tried to get along with Trump again.
People in Tallahassee have long talked about what the first lady of the state wants. In the past few weeks, that talk has gotten louder as problems have grown between the governor and Trump’s friends in the Florida Legislature.
I think Byron Donalds would be a great and powerful governor for Florida. If he decides to run, I will fully support him,” Trump wrote on social media Thursday. “RUN YOU BYRON! RUN!”
Requests for feedback to Donalds’ office were not answered right away. After Trump’s post, he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week and told the people there to “stay tuned” for news about his future plans.
Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is also a strong supporter of Trump, said bad things about DeSantis’ words in a post on X, which used to be Twitter.
Gaetz said, “Man, this hurts me to see.” “Governor DeSantis, don’t you remember how you, Donalds, and I worked together to get you elected in 2018?” We were your real-life debate prep team.
Kate Payne works as a volunteer for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that puts reporters in local newsrooms to cover problems that don’t get enough attention.
