Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that he wouldn’t necessarily support President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace him, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), and he acknowledged rumors that his wife, Casey DeSantis, might run in the next gubernatorial race. While Donalds has not yet formally announced plans to run for governor of Florida in the 2026 election, Trump stated on TRUTH Social on Thursday that Donalds had his “complete and total endorsement” if he chooses to run.
Meanwhile, DeSantis has been rumored to be considering the possibility of his wife running for governor, a notion he has floated to donors. During a press conference in Tampa on Monday, the governor discussed the establishment of Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency but did not support Donalds for the gubernatorial race at this time, though he explained why.
“Donald Trump just got into office. I want these congressmen focused on enacting his agenda,” DeSantis said, per Fox News. “They haven’t done very much yet. They’re not putting his executive orders into place. We’ll see what they do on the spending, but we have such a narrow majority that to be trying to campaign other places and missing these votes, I think, is not something that’s advisable at all.”
“We’ve achieved victories in Florida. We need to start achieving those victories up there, so I think people look at it and say, you know you got a guy like Byron, he just hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we’ve had here over these last years,” DeSantis continued. “He’s just not been a part of it. He’s been in other states campaigning doing that, and that’s fine, but OK, well then deliver results up there. That’s what I want to see. I want to see them delivering results for the people of Florida. We deliver it here all the time for the people of Florida, and that’s what we need to be doing.”
The popular governor said he’s going to be raising money for the 2026 race and is looking for someone “that’s going to be able to continue and build off that success that we’ve had here in Florida.” He added: “I think a lot of people think somehow the battle’s been won, and you don’t have to worry about it. We could revert very quickly. That could happen. 100%.”
“And so it really needs to be, ‘OK, are you going to be somebody that’s going to fight for people, especially when it’s not easy? Have you been willing to get in and get involved in these big battles that we’ve had and have won over these many years?’ And if you’re not willing to do that, then I think we are going to see this state revert, so I would not take anything for granted,” DeSantis warned.
He noted further: “We’ve had hundreds of thousands of people move here specifically because of the policies that we have, and I think that’s something that you should not take for granted. This is not necessarily something that just goes on autopilot.”
When questioned about whether his wife might run, DeSantis did not confirm the speculation on Monday but praised her for her strong political acumen and commitment to conservative values. “People ask me all the time about our wonderful first lady, who has done a fantastic job as first lady of Florida. I will tell you this, you’re talking about somebody like her.
“I won by the biggest margin that any Republican has ever won a governor’s race here in Florida. She would do better than me. She’s somebody that has the intestinal fortitude and the dedication to conservative principles that, you know, anything that we’ve accomplished she’d be able to take to the next level,” DeSantis added, per Fox.