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Casey DeSantis May Run For Florida Governor — Because That State Hasn't Been Through Enough?
Ron DeSantis may be bombing his presidential run, but his wife is poised to take over as the leader of The Sunshine State.
With “Don’t Say Gay” Ron DeSantis stepping down as the governor of Florida when his term ends in 2026, the Republican party is already looking for candidates to fill his high-heeled boots.
Sadly, that doesn’t mean we are free of the DeSantis name because a new poll shows that the failed presidential candidate’s wife Casey DeSantis is the frontrunner — God help us all.
Of the 788 registered Florida Republicans polled, the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab found that 22 percent want the Sunshine State’s first lady to take over the job.
The data seems to show that Casey DeSantis may be able to turn her popularity as an outspoken and unrepentant homophobe into a political career. Which, honestly, shouldn’t be a surprise considering Republicans have made it crystal clear that you have to be proudly hateful to make it in their party.
“We’re obviously still a ways out from the Governor’s race, and this pool of candidates will certainly change before 2026,” pollster Michael Binder told Florida Politics. “For now, it seems Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis is an early favorite among Republican primary voters — wouldn’t that be interesting, potentially having the DeSantises in the Governor’s Mansion for another 11 years.”
“Interesting” is not how we would put it. More like vile.
In case you need more than her marriage to an anti-LGBTQ+ politician to turn you against her, America’s Karen really out Karened herself back in July when she formed her own political activist group Mama’s for DeSantis which she started to back up her husband’s laughably pathetic presidential aspirations and gain the support of mom’s obsessed with parental rights. You know, the battle cry for every right-wing extremist who wants to ban LGBTQ+ books and get rid of masking and critical race theory. “In America, we’ve witnessed a lot and put up with enough,” Casey DeSantis said in a video launching the group. “We’ve been forced into silence, into compliance, told that we must trust the science. We have been told that we must deny truth, back down, and look the other way.”
We will not allow you to exploit the innocence of our children to advance your agenda.
— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) July 6, 2023
When you come after our kids, we fight back.
We are no longer silent.
We are united.
We are Mamas for DeSantis.
...and we will elect @RonDeSantis President of the United States.
Join our… pic.twitter.com/jo6HUATaVa
For someone supposedly forced by liberals “into silence” those gums sure do stay flapping.
And then, of course, she fed into the queer people are child groomers narrative. “But enough is enough,” she continued. “When you come after our kids, we fight back. Because there’s nothing we won’t do to protect our children.”
Luckily, for as many supportive comments as there were on X (formerly Twitter), there were many people who voiced their opposition to all of her conservative talking points.
"Do all the 1950s housewife cosplay you want. You’re tacky and your husband is a fascist goon," one person commented, while another wrote, "Your husband will never be president. You will never be First Lady. Take all of the seats."
Your husband will never be president. You will never be First Lady. Take all of the seats.
— debbie156-MeidasMighty Ⓜ️Ⓜ️☮️ (@debbie156) July 11, 2023
The poll also shows that 9 percent of respondents support US Reps. Byron Donalds and Matt Gaetz, followed by Attorney General Ashley Moody who has 6 percent support, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis with 3 percent, and Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez with 2 percent.
Six percent of respondents don’t want anyone listed in the poll — please let that number grow before the election! The last thing we need is another ultra-conservative anti-LGBTQ+ politician running Florida.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
