Merve Aydogan
07 November 2026•Update: 07 November 2026
US Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is preparing to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, according to a report on Friday, a claim the governor rejected.
Citing three people briefed on his plans, the Washington Post said DeSantis is weighing another White House bid after Florida emerged as one of the few conservative strongholds to largely withstand a sweeping Democratic victory in this week’s midterm elections.
The report said DeSantis has contacted at least one national political consultant about joining a possible campaign, according to a person close to him who spoke on condition of anonymity. His federal super PAC also sent a fundraising text this week, which the report described as a sign of intent.
DeSantis, however, responded in a post 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 include a statement from DeSantis disputing it.
Donor Dan Eberhart, who backed DeSantis’s failed 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."
At a news conference, DeSantis described the election outcome as "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 results have unsettled assumptions that Vice President JD Vance is the heir apparent to President Donald Trump and the early front-runner for 2028, according to the report.
It said DeSantis has since made several high-profile media appearances, including on Fox News, presenting himself as an alternative to Trumpism, and that 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 after finishing second in the Iowa caucuses with 21.3% of the vote, well behind Trump, who won more than 50%.
