Discovery Insights Elections Candidates Calendar Watchlist

Casey DeSantis

Florida Republican Governor nominee?

$5.4M

AUG 19, 2026

Primary Election

Party selects its nominee.

Overview

Current roleFirst Lady of Florida

Political ideologyConservative Republican

Age45 years old (Jun 26, 1980)

GenderFemale

LocationFlorida

BackgroundFirst Lady of Florida

EducationCollege of Charleston — B.A. in Economics

Notable personal detailsJill Casey DeSantis is an American former television journalist and on-air host who has served as First Lady of Florida since 2019 as the wife of Gov. Ron DeSantis. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the College of Charleston and later worked in media roles including with the PGA Tour and Jacksonville-area television. As first lady, she has led initiatives focused on mental health and family support, including programs such as Resiliency Florida and Hope Florida.

SourcesShow

flgov.com apnews.com en.wikipedia.org wikidata.org news4jax.com es.wikipedia.org miamiherald.com foxnews.com wusf.org flanews.com cfr.org zh.wikipedia.org commons.wikimedia.org washingtonpost.com ed.gov ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu cfbhn.org fbcoverup.com docs.house.gov politico.com lifenews.com flvoicenews.com news.wfsu.org wlrn.org newsweek.com yahoo.com wsj.com nypost.com nbcmiami.com cbsnews.com bloomberg.com axios.com abcnews.go.com cdn.ballotpedia.org nga.org fec.gov history.house.gov frost.house.gov durbin.senate.gov govinfo.gov congress.gov

Positions

LiberalConservative

Healthcare

The candidate emphasizes medical freedom (opposing mRNA vaccine mandates and pushing protections for patients' vaccination status) while promoting targeted state healthcare initiatives such as mental health, substance-abuse programs, cancer research funding, and a private-sector-oriented Hope Florida program aimed at reducing dependence on government aid. The record shows advocacy for limiting federal vaccine recommendations for children and making state protections against mandates permanent.

Abortion & Reproductive Rights

Casey DeSantis has expressed pro-life views and publicly supported pro-life events and messaging, including comments identifying as "pro-family" and "pro-life." Her public statements align with restricting abortion access and supporting policies that protect unborn life while promoting family-support measures.

Climate & Energy

Casey DeSantis, as Florida’s First Lady, has promoted water quality, conservation, and state resiliency initiatives and has participated in launches and programs focused on environmental stewardship. Her public activity emphasizes conservation and resilience but does not present clear support for aggressive emissions reductions or broad clean-energy policy goals. Public materials document advocacy for protecting Florida’s natural resources and resiliency projects rather than specific climate or energy-transition policies.

Public Safety & Guns

The candidate has publicly promoted expanded gun rights in Florida, including support for open carry and proposals to reduce taxes on firearms and ammunition. Statements and social posts advocate making Florida more permissive on carrying firearms while framing the changes as protecting the Second Amendment and supporting gun owners.

Polls

Florida Republican Governor nominee?

Polling Average

40%30%20%10%0%

27.1%

29.9%

10.7%

C. DeSantis

B. Donalds

M. Gaetz

J. Patronis

J. Collins

W. Simpson

P. Renner

C. Burkett

Date (Start - End)	Spread	DeSantis	Donalds	Gaetz	Patronis	Collins	Simpson	Renner	Burkett
Polling Average	Donalds+2.8	27.1%	29.9%	10.7%	4.0%	3.1%	2.6%	2.4%	2.2%
Emerson CollegeMar 29 - 31	Donalds+36.8	6.7%	43.5%	–	–	4.3%	–	2.0%	0.5%
University of North Florida Public Opinion Research LabFeb 16 - 20	Donalds+4.0	24.0%	28.0%	–	–	3.0%	–	0.0%	–
Fabrizio, Lee & AssociatesJan 4 - 6	Donalds+13.0	26.0%	39.0%	–	–	–	–	1.0%	–
St. Pete PollsOct 13 - 15	Donalds+26.2	21.0%	47.2%	–	–	–	–	–	–
Targoz Market ResearchSep 16 - 18	DeSantis+3.0	26.0%	23.0%	–	–	2.0%	2.0%	7.0%	–
University of North Florida Public Opinion Research LabJul 14 - 22	DeSantis+3.0	32.0%	29.0%	8.0%	–	–	1.0%	–	–
St. Pete PollsJul 8 - 10	Donalds+7.5	27.4%	34.9%	–	–	–	3.1%	2.2%	–
Targoz Market ResearchMay 5 - 7	DeSantis+1.0	29.0%	28.0%	10.0%	–	–	4.0%	–	3.0%
Targoz Market ResearchApr 15 - 22	DeSantis+3.0	27.0%	24.0%	8.0%	–	–	4.0%	–	3.0%
Fabrizio, Lee & AssociatesFeb 26 - 27	Donalds+4.0	30.0%	34.0%	–	–	–	3.0%	–	–
Florida Atlantic University PolCom Lab/Mainstreet ResearchJun 8 - 9	DeSantis+24.0	43.0%	19.0%	13.0%	5.0%	–	–	–	–
Florida Atlantic University PolCom Lab/Mainstreet ResearchApr 15 - 17	DeSantis+21.5	37.6%	–	16.1%	–	–	–	–	–
University of North Florida Public Opinion Research LabOct 23 - Nov 4	DeSantis+13.0	22.0%	9.0%	9.0%	3.0%	–	1.0%	–	–

Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne

New updates coming soon

We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.

News
Endorsements
Fundraising