Desantis' Post-midterm Media Blitz Renews 2028 Chatter

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Ron DeSantis declared on CNN this week that he will be a “free man after Jan. 5” — a nod to the end of his two terms as governor of Florida. But he’s already offering biting commentary about the shortcomings of his own party after the midterm bloodbath, giving rise to speculation about his political future.

That Florida Republicans narrowly staved off the blue wave that swept so many red states, including Texas, only fuels his appeal to conservatives looking for a strong 2028 candidate.

“This is DeSantis’ time,” said conservative radio host and former Trump 2020 campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis, citing policy wins by the governor and arguing that Republicans “overwhelmingly rejected the cult of personality.”

“DeSantis is in a unique position because he is neither MAGA nor establishment,” she continued, “so [he] can and will — and has — criticized both while remaining strong and principled.”

Blaise Ingoglia, a former Florida GOP chair who narrowly won his race for state chief financial officer, added it was not surprising that talk about DeSantis’ presidential potential is resurfacing. “The governor should be credited for creating that environment” where Florida resisted broad Democratic wins, he said.

One person close to DeSantis, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said the GOP performance in the midterms “opened a massive lane” for DeSantis in 2028 “that has not really been discussed by anyone openly but is fairly obvious to anyone surveying the landscape.” That person added that DeSantis would likewise be "incredibly well qualified” for the Supreme Court should a vacancy emerge.

But the hype around the GOP governor’s future political plans has heated up every day post-midterms. On Friday night, after The Washington Post published a report saying DeSantis had reached out to a political consultant about working on a potential campaign, Florida’s governor forcefully rebuffed their piece on social media.

“The Washington Post is fabricating this out of whole cloth,” DeSantis wrote on X. “I have not reached out to anybody about running for anything.”

DeSantis rose to national prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic for resisting many of the restrictions other states adopted, and waded into battles over race and gender identity ahead of his unsuccessful 2024 run for president. His campaign raised substantial sums of money but only managed to survive through the Iowa caucuses, in part because of the relentless attacks by President Donald Trump and his allies.

Ahead of his 2024 presidential run, DeSantis was hyped as a smarter, more disciplined Trump who had none of the drama but all the knife-fighting toughness and ability to “own the libs.” He flew migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, fought the Walt Disney Corp. over LGBTQ rights and was praised for transforming the state into a Republican-led powerhouse where GOP voter registration bloomed to 1.5 million more than Democrats.

His last two years in Tallahassee, however, have been bumpier as he tussled with state House Republicans who were less inclined to fulfill his agenda (he once strong-armed the state Legislature to dramatically change state rules to ease his to run for president) and stayed on the sidelines in the governor’s race until after the primary was won by GOP Rep. Byron Donalds. Republicans also lost a large number of seats in the state Legislature on Tuesday, breaking the GOP supermajority he had under his tenure.

As his time as governor winds down, he’s been starting to plan for his transition to private life, said one Florida GOP operative granted anonymity to speak candidly. Reports have noted that DeSantis was buying a home in Polk County. “What’s obvious is he will continue to opine on American politics as he has always done,” the operative said.

As for running for president again the operative added: “The only person who knows his 2028 plans is between his two ears.”

Another GOP consultant said DeSantis plans to continue speaking engagements after his time in office and was “keeping options open for 2028” but was more likely looking ahead to the possibility of running for president in 2032. The person added that the governor had formed a think tank he’ll use to help rebuild and shape the Republican Party and propose policy ideas. The governor plans to continue his pushes for a balanced budget amendment and for term limits.

While some allies have floated DeSantis working in the Trump administration, there are currently no vacancies and three GOP consultants said he wouldn’t have interest in doing so. One barrier to DeSantis joining the Trump administration, Susie Wiles, crumbled Friday when Trump announced he was replacing her as chief of staff with Stephen Miller. There had been bad blood between Wiles and DeSantis stemming back to when he ousted her from his political operation.

The White House declined to comment, and Trump told Fox News Channel’s Martha MacCallum this week that as far as 2028 and his possible endorsement was concerned, Republicans had a “great group of talented people that I think would do a very good job.”

Rumors and chatter on social media about DeSantis’ future started after he held a press conference in Tallahassee the morning after the election in which he eviscerated the GOP’s performance in the midterms on issues from stock trading to the Epstein files and the war in Iran. He boasted that Florida had hung on as a GOP state — even as he conceded it came dangerously close to facing the same fate as Texas.

DeSantis also hit the cable news circuit throughout the day Wednesday. Asked repeatedly about his plans to run for president in 2028, he demurred but acknowledged he hasn’t ruled out a run in the future.

He repeatedly stressed how difficult it would be for a Republican president to get a “conservative reform agenda” passed with Democratic majorities in Congress — and predicted that, given which seats are up for reelection in the coming cycles, Republicans may not be able to gain a majority in Congress until 2032. The idea that a Republican might not be able to win the Electoral College without Texas was also “something that obviously I’m thinking of,” he said on “The Sage Steele Show.”

“The only way I would run for any office,” he said, “is if you can actually deliver big results.”

The governor also has stressed that he has more work to do before leaving office early next year, including working with the Legislature during a special session to implement a property tax cut approved by voters.

Asked about the governor’s future, DeSantis office spokesperson Alex Lafranconi pointed to answers he gave in recent media appearances.

DeSantis wasn’t the only major Republican who’s been buzzed about for 2028 who was prognosticating about the midterms. Vice President JD Vance issued a lengthy social media post saying the administration needed to focus on ending the war in Iran. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas similarly said the war had gone on “too long” and that prices were too high while GOP politicians “didn’t understand or they didn’t care.”

“For anyone thinking of running for president, their objective right now is to define the post-midterm narrative: They all are going to attempt to explain what happened, why it happened and what the path forward is for the Republican Party going into 2028,” said Justin Sayfie, a partner at Ballard Partners and former adviser to former GOP Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida.

GOP Florida operative Brett Doster also said Florida’s midterm performance sets up DeSantis well.

“After Tuesday's very intense rebuke to the leadership style and unclear agenda of the DC GOP, Gov. DeSantis is uniquely positioned to be a critic and make the case that a Florida governor is what is needed for 2028,” he said.

But DeSantis also has vocal critics. Former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, while calling him a “great governor,” chided DeSantis’ America First-aligned comments as “an act” and a “display of populist nationalism” during a segment on One America News Network, where he’s an anchor.

“The notion that Ron DeSantis is our populist hero that’s going to lead us out of this is nonsense,” he said, noting he’d been a co-chair on the 2018 gubernatorial transition and knew the governor well.

A former Trump 2024 campaign operative panned the idea of DeSantis running for president in 2028, pointing to his 30-point loss in Iowa despite entering the race as the presumed favorite.

“He spent millions trying to convince Republican voters he was the future of the party, only to prove he lacked the charisma, instincts and ability to win,” the person said. “His ambition is exceeded only by his staggering lack of self-awareness.”