Will she or won't she run?
That's the question surrounding First Lady Casey DeSantis regarding the 2026 race for Governor.
Yet while she acknowledges the speculation is "humbling," she's also maintaining that the seeming enthusiasm for her running is due to her "rock star" husband Ron DeSantis and the job he's done as the state's Chief Executive.
"I will tell you this, when people talk about me running for Governor, I think it speaks highly about the Governor himself," Casey DeSantis said. "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."
"And so when people start talking about, 'Oh, you know, you should run,' that's because Gov. DeSantis is a rock star and that's because people are so proud of everything that he's done for this state," she added.
The First Lady made the comments on the Conservative Review podcast, and they are among her first on-record comments regarding her potential political future.
Last week, Ron DeSantis addressed a 2026 run, all but ruling it out on Casey DeSantis' behalf.
He said that if he "had to characterize her interest in getting into the political thicket as a candidate," he would "characterize it as zero."
"But, you know, I think it's because she's had a front row seat (for) all the nonsense that goes on when you do it," Ron DeSantis added.
Surveys have suggested that Florida Republicans might embrace her as a candidate.
A poll conducted in April by Florida Atlantic University and Mainstreet Research showed 38% of 372 Florida Republicans polled would choose the First Lady in a head-to-head race against U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who would receive 16% support in this 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.
It should be noted that 40% of respondents were undecided amid names like U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, Gaetz, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz.
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