DeSantis Rejects Report He’s Eyeing 2028 White House Bid
(MENAFN) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is laying the groundwork for a 2028 Republican presidential run, a major U.S. newspaper reported Friday. The governor flatly denied it.
Three people briefed on his thinking told the newspaper that DeSantis is considering a second White House campaign. Florida was one of the few conservative strongholds to largely hold firm during a sweeping Democratic victory in this week’s midterm elections.
According to the report, DeSantis has approached at least one national political consultant about joining a potential campaign, a person close to him said on condition of anonymity. The report also described a fundraising text sent this week by his federal super PAC as a sign of intent.
DeSantis pushed back on US social media platform X: “The Washington Post is fabricating this out of whole cloth. I have not reached out to anybody about running for anything. Just another pathetic attempt to garner clicks,” he said. “Using anonymous sources of course!”
The newspaper said it updated its article after publication to add the governor’s statement disputing it.
Donor Dan Eberhart, who supported DeSantis’s unsuccessful 2024 bid, told the paper: “Florida’s walls not being breached by the blue wave gives DeSantis more credibility than nearly anyone in the opening days of the 2028 primary.”
Speaking at a news conference, DeSantis called the election outcome “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans,” adding: “It’s the political equivalent of a meteor strike that went all around the United States, blue states, red states, everything in between.”
The report said the results have shaken the assumption that Vice President JD Vance is the heir apparent to President Donald Trump and the early 2028 front-runner.
Since the election, the report said, DeSantis has made several high-profile media appearances, including on a major U.S. cable news network, casting himself as an alternative to Trumpism. He has also sought to stand out on artificial intelligence policy as a leading opponent of data centers in Florida.
DeSantis ended his 2024 campaign shortly before the New Hampshire primary. He had finished second in the Iowa caucuses with 21.3% of the vote, far behind Trump, who won more than 50%.
Three people briefed on his thinking told the newspaper that DeSantis is considering a second White House campaign. Florida was one of the few conservative strongholds to largely hold firm during a sweeping Democratic victory in this week’s midterm elections.
According to the report, DeSantis has approached at least one national political consultant about joining a potential campaign, a person close to him said on condition of anonymity. The report also described a fundraising text sent this week by his federal super PAC as a sign of intent.
DeSantis pushed back on US social media platform X: “The Washington Post is fabricating this out of whole cloth. I have not reached out to anybody about running for anything. Just another pathetic attempt to garner clicks,” he said. “Using anonymous sources of course!”
The newspaper said it updated its article after publication to add the governor’s statement disputing it.
Donor Dan Eberhart, who supported DeSantis’s unsuccessful 2024 bid, told the paper: “Florida’s walls not being breached by the blue wave gives DeSantis more credibility than nearly anyone in the opening days of the 2028 primary.”
Speaking at a news conference, DeSantis called the election outcome “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans,” adding: “It’s the political equivalent of a meteor strike that went all around the United States, blue states, red states, everything in between.”
The report said the results have shaken the assumption that Vice President JD Vance is the heir apparent to President Donald Trump and the early 2028 front-runner.
Since the election, the report said, DeSantis has made several high-profile media appearances, including on a major U.S. cable news network, casting himself as an alternative to Trumpism. He has also sought to stand out on artificial intelligence policy as a leading opponent of data centers in Florida.
DeSantis ended his 2024 campaign shortly before the New Hampshire primary. He had finished second in the Iowa caucuses with 21.3% of the vote, far behind Trump, who won more than 50%.
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