Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is preparing a new bid for the Republican Party’s nomination in the 2028 U.S. presidential election, The Washington Post reported. The information was confirmed to the newspaper by three people familiar with his plans.
According to one of them, DeSantis has already approached at least one national political consultant about potentially joining the campaign. The federal super PAC supporting him has also begun a new fundraising campaign — a move that people familiar with his plans say signals his intention to enter the race.
After the article was published, however, DeSantis denied taking any such steps. “I have not contacted anyone about participating in any kind of race,” he wrote on social media. The governor has not officially announced a candidacy for the 2028 election.
Republican defeat opened up an opportunity
DeSantis sees a political opportunity following the Republican Party’s dismal performance in the midterm elections on November 3. Democrats won majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, limiting President Donald Trump’s ability to advance his legislative agenda during the final two years of his term.
“This was the political equivalent of a meteor strike that passed through almost every part of the United States — blue states, red states and everything in between,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Tallahassee. In another assessment, he described the result as “close to an extinction-level event” for Republicans.
Florida was among the few conservative states that largely withstood the electoral wave in favor of the Democrats. This could become a key argument for DeSantis in a potential campaign, as he will seek to present the state as proof that Republicans can win without being directly dependent on Trump.
Second attempt after 2024 failure
DeSantis already took part in the race for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2024. He finished second in the Iowa caucuses in January of that year with 21.3 percent of the vote, while Trump received more than 50 percent.
The governor withdrew shortly before the New Hampshire primary and endorsed Trump, who subsequently won the presidential election. According to The Washington Post, DeSantis concluded that if he made another attempt, he would have to start earlier and be more active in the national media.
Following the Republicans’ electoral defeat, a broader contest is taking shape at the outset of the race for 2028. Vice President J.D. Vance had until recently been considered the leading heir to Trump’s political influence, but the midterm election results changed the calculations within the party. For now, DeSantis remains a potential candidate, not an officially declared contender.
Sources: washingtonpost.com, apnews.com