A.G. Gancarski
In light of reportage that First Lady Casey DeSantis is being talked up as a “very real” possibility as the logical successor to her husband as Governor, there may not be fresh polling.
But surveys of Republicans from last year show she is the one name mentioned with momentum ahead of the race.
Per a June polling memo from Florida Atlantic University, she leads a field of candidates with 43% support, ahead of Byron Donalds at 19%, with Jimmy Patronis and Matt Gaetz further back still.
A poll conducted in April by FAU showed 38% of 372 Florida Republicans polled would choose the First Lady in a head-to-head race against Gaetz, who would receive 16% support in that scenario.
A University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab survey from November 2023 showed the First Lady with 22% support, a lead in a crowded field of potential candidates.
Both the First Lady and the Governor have addressed the speculation.
While she acknowledged the talk is “humbling,” she also maintains that the seeming enthusiasm for her running is due to her “rock star” husband and the job he’s done as the state’s Chief Executive.
Ron DeSantis also addressed a 2026 run, all but ruling it out on his wife’s behalf.
He said in May that if he “had to hypothesize her interest in getting into the political thicket as a candidate,” he would “characterize it as zero.”
Fresh reporting from Matt Dixon of NBC News says differently, with a “source familiar with her thinking” suggesting it’s a possibility.
“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,” Dixon cites his source.
Part of the reason this may be a more live idea, per another Dixon source, is to stop Wilton Simpson or Donalds from being Governor.
4 comments
Peachy
February 7, 2025 at 9:36 am
So much Republican talent in the state of Florida. Maybe the Demos will deploy their best like Fried, Gillum, Wasserman-Schultz, etc. 🤣
Larry Gillis, Libertarian (Cape Coral)
February 7, 2025 at 10:26 am
FLORIDA NEEDS A LIBERTARIAN GOVERNOR.
The time has come. Think about it.
JD
February 7, 2025 at 11:31 am
While I totally get the appeal of libertarianism in theory, it’s kind of like the utopia of Star Trek. It just doesn’t work in reality because it runs headfirst into human nature. Markets don’t self-regulate as cleanly as we’d hope (hello, monopolies, crashes, and the 2008 financial crisis), private entities rarely invest in infrastructure unless there’s big profit involved (see: rural broadband deserts, private toll roads, and expensive healthcare), and without guardrails, power ends up concentrated in the hands of a few (think Gilded Age robber barons or modern tech monopolies). Historically, attempts at extreme deregulation haven’t led to freedom and prosperity but instead to economic disasters and corruption (see: Chile in the ‘70s, Russia in the ‘90s, and the Enron scandal). Plus, things like climate change and pandemics require coordinated responses, not just “let the market sort it out” (see: COVID-19 vaccine distribution and pollution regulations).
At the end of the day, good governance, regulation, and a strong social safety net are paramount for the populace to thrive, not just those with wealth and means. A society that allows everyone a fair shot instead of leaving people to fend for themselves against systemic imbalances creates more prosperity, stability, and innovation for all. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
Interestingly, libertarian ideals of fairness, personal freedom, and economic opportunity could align with democratic and independent (NPA) goals if approached pragmatically. The problem is that in isolation, libertarianism won’t gain traction, especially when the only major political movement giving it lip service is the Republican Party, which actively works against those very ideals by concentrating power and wealth among the few. If the goal is to ever get to that Star Trek utopia, the real challenge is in building unity among opposition movements that value fairness, individual rights, and a just economic system. Folding libertarian energy into a broader coalition, rather than letting it be co-opted by those who weaponize it for corporate and elite interests, is the only way forward.
Think about it.
Victoria Olson
February 7, 2025 at 11:58 am
Hell NO what a joke yeah anyone would be better than Matt Gaetz, plus that polling is OLD. American despise DeSatan & his wife while running for president, what would that change. She would only be a puppet for her husband who we & most All Floridians despise.