Casey DeSantis, the wife of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has long been rumored as a potential 2026 candidate, but the prospect is inching closer to reality.

The possibility Florida’s first lady would succeed her husband, who will be termed out, has long been wished in some segments of the party, but she has regularly dismissed the notion.

In a sign DeSantis was not proving a threat to Trump, the Republican Party of Florida voted in September 2023 not to require participants in the state's 2024 presidential primary to pledge to support the eventual nominee, which ensured Trump would not have to pledge support to DeSantis when the two were locked in a bitter campaign.