The wife of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s potential candidacy for 2026 has been long rumored, but it is now closer to becoming a reality.

Republican donors discussed openly the possibility of Casey DeSantis running for governor in Florida in 2026 at a meeting held last week in Palm Beach County. For the first time Florida’s First Lady is seriously considering this idea.

Gov. Her husband Ron DeSantis is subject to term limits and can’t run for reelection. Five people familiar with Casey DeSantis and her thought process at the donor event told NBC News that there has been long-standing speculation as to whether Casey would one day run for public office.

Source familiar with her thoughts said: “I’d say this: I heard that donors were urging her run, and while it wasn’t something she wanted to do at all, they caused her to stop and listen.”

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Casey DeSantis could not be reached to comment on this article.

Her entry into the Republican primary field for 2026, which has not yet been set, could have significant effects on both the Florida political landscape and the national one, possibly setting up a proxy battle between Gov. Ron DeSantis is a close friend of President Donald Trump.

Rep. Byron Donalds is another Republican who has publicly stated that he’s considering a bid for governor. Donalds is a close Trump ally.

Another person who was familiar with the conversation said that it is “a real possibility” that Casey DeSantis will run for governor. However, they did not know if this scenario is “probable.”

Prior to the South Florida Donor Event last week, this prospect was largely political speculation. Even then, however, the idea gained enough traction to require Casey DeSantis to speak out.

She told the podcast “Conservative Review”, in May, that “I think when people talk about my running for governor it speaks highly of the governor himself.” “I believe that when people see me they do so because they are so pleased with everything this governor has done for Florida,” she told the “Conservative Review” podcast in May.

When people say, “Oh, I know you should run,” it’s because of Gov. DeSantis has become a rockstar because of all the things he’s accomplished for Florida, she said.

Wilton Simpson, the state’s Agriculture Commissioner, is believed to also be considering running. Although he does not have the same national profile as Donalds or Casey DeSantis, he has a good reputation in Florida and has upwards of $30 million in his bank account from previous fundraising efforts.

Casey DeSantis’s candidacy would be seen, at least in part, as an attempt to wage a proxy battle between Trump and his wife.

After Trump endorsed Ron DeSantis’ 2018 governorship bid, the two became close friends. However, they fell out when DeSantis challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

The relationship between them has improved, but a race between the wife of the Florida governor and Donalds – widely thought to be the candidate Trump would back – would reignite the rivalry over who was the real kingmaker among Florida Republicans.

DeSantis was once close to Donalds, and Donalds even invited DeSantis’ family to his 2022 election victory party. However, the two fell apart when Donalds backed Trump in the primary.

DeSantis and Simpson have also had a difficult relationship. The two men sparred openly last month after the GOP-dominated Legislature proposed to take away DeSantis’ immigration oversight authority and give it to Simpson. DeSantis was vocally against the plan.

DeSantis originally wanted Ashley Moody, former state attorney general and a longtime friend, to run as governor. He thought she was the best candidate to defeat Donalds but ultimately he decided to nominate her to fill the Senate seat that Trump left vacant when he chose Marco Rubio as his secretary of State.

DeSantis had to look for another candidate that was in his camp and who he thought could be the next governor.

Another source familiar with his thinking stated that the governor views his wife’s run as “his best opportunity to set future leadership for the state and avoid a Simpson or Donalds Governorship.” This is what opened the door to Casey’s run.

An adviser to Donalds told NBC News that he had “heard rumblings” about a Casey DeSantis run for governor, but refused to comment any further.

DeSantis’s tensions with both men have made it difficult for him to endorse either candidate in the race for governor. He is now searching for a replacement.

DeSantis already stated that he will be running for governor in 2026.

DeSantis announced last month that he will use the Florida Freedom Fund to support a candidate for the 2026 race for governor. Last year, he used his state-level political committee to defeat ballot measures which would have legalized marijuana for recreational use in Florida and another which would have enshrined the right to abortion in the Florida Constitution.

He posted last month on X that “The Florida Freedom Fund played a key role in raising large sums of money to defeat Amendment 3 & 4 in 2024.” “For the cycle of 2026, the FFF plans to raise even more funds (1) to ensure the support of a strong candidate for governor and (2) to support conservative candidates in legislative primary races.”

Many have been left wondering who DeSantis will end up supporting. Whoever answers this question could already be living in the Governor’s Mansion.

She’s running. “I think most people see it at this point,” said a person who is familiar with Casey DeSantis. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the rumors feel very real at this point.