A new poll found Florida first lady Casey DeSantis as the most favorable candidate to succeed her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, as the governor of the Sunshine State. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File)
"She likely enjoys some favorability by association as Florida’s first lady," Binder added, "but most of these potential candidates suffer from a lack of recognition—some suffering more than others. That said, I expect we’ll see a few of them become household names by the time the August 2026 primary rolls around."
The other speculative gubernatorial candidates included in the poll’s question included, from left to right, Sen. Ashley Moody, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Byron Donalds and Florida commissioner of agriculture Wilton Simpson. (Reuters)
Gaetz resigned from Congress abruptly last year after President Donald Trump tapped him to be his attorney general, though Gaetz eventually withdrew himself from consideration amid growing Republican opposition. The resignation also came as the House Ethics Committee had been preparing its report on allegations against Gaetz that included illicit drug use and sex with a minor, all of which he has denied.
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Most respondents said they never heard of Moody (54%), Donalds (66%) and Simpson (79%), though those familiar with them found Moody and Donalds more favorable than unfavorable, and Simpson was split at 4% in both categories, the poll found.
Moody, the former state attorney general, was selected in January to fill Sen. Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate after Trump tapped Rubio to lead the State Department. Donalds has been a staunch ally of Trump, who gave the lawmaker a shout-out during inaugural events in Washington, saying, "Stand up, Byron. What a future this one has."
Gov. Ron DeSantis has previously shot down rumors surrounding a potential bid for office from his wife. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images, File)
Gov. Ron DeSantis has previously shot down rumors surrounding a potential bid for office from his wife.
"If I had to characterize her interest in getting into the political thicket as a candidate, I would say, I would characterize it as zero," DeSantis told reporters in May. "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."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/casey-desantis-favored-florida-governors-race-poll-finds