DeSantis Gives Unexpected Update 3 Days After Sharing Tragic News
Casey DeSantis, the wife of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, denied on Monday any plans to run for governor in 2026 after her husband's term ends.
Speaking at an event in Coral Gables, the Republican governor addressed the rumors about his wife's potential political future. Recent polls suggest Casey DeSantis would be a strong contender in a hypothetical Republican gubernatorial primary.
When asked about the polls, DeSantis smiled and told reporters, “If I had to sum up her interest in entering politics as a candidate, I would say, I would sum it up as zero.” He added, “I believe it’s because she’s witnessed firsthand all the absurdities that occur when you do it.”
Governor DeSantis mentioned that some have suggested his wife run for governor because of her successful initiatives, such as Hope Florida, which helps individuals on government assistance find employment.
Throughout her husband's 2024 presidential campaign, Casey DeSantis was a prominent presence on the campaign trail. Observers and supporters often noted that her personality and inspirational story as a cancer survivor made her a highlight at her husband's events. Their young children, aged three to seven, sometimes accompanied them.
In a 2023 interview with Fox News' Harris Faulkner, Casey DeSantis emphasized her humility in her role as Florida's first lady.
“I think one who looks at the role with a lot of humility,” she said. “It isn’t about me. It is about being in a position to be able to do good on behalf of the people of this state and hopefully of this country.”
Recently, Governor DeSantis made headlines when Florida sued the federal administration, accusing President Joe Biden of "abusing his constitutional authority" over significant new Title IX regulation changes issued by the Department of Education.
DeSantis announced the lawsuit on social media, noting that South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama were joining the case. The lawsuit challenges the Biden administration's Title IX changes, which include prohibiting schools from barring biological male students from participating in women’s sports.
“Florida is suing the Biden Administration over its unlawful Title IX changes. Biden is abusing his constitutional authority to push an ideological agenda that harms women and girls and conflicts with the truth,” DeSantis wrote. “We will not comply, and we will fight back against Biden’s harmful agenda.”
The lawsuit, according to Fox News, also includes plaintiffs like the Independent Women’s Law Center, Independent Women’s Network, Parents Defending Education, and Speech First, Inc.
The Biden administration's modifications to Title IX reinterpret "sex" as "gender identity" and "sexual orientation," requiring schools to use students' preferred pronouns. Schools risk losing federal funding if they fail to comply.
Fox reported that the regulations also prohibit schools from differentiating or separating individuals based on sex, allowing restrooms and locker rooms to be designated based on gender identity.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr filed the lawsuit, arguing that the changes would harm women's sports and endanger women.
“The Biden administration is destroying women’s sports by gutting commonsense provisions that protect female athletes and demanding that biological males be allowed to compete against females,” Carr stated. “Today we have taken action to defend women’s rights to fair competition, and we will keep fighting until we end this absurdity once and for all.”
The lawsuit argues that President Biden is overstepping his authority by bypassing Congress.
“While different administrations can have different policy views, they cannot override the text that Congress enacted in 1972 or overrule the binding precedent of this circuit. The Biden rule does both—to the detriment of the states, their schools, and their students. For a host of reasons, this new rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act and should be set aside,” the lawsuit states.
Carr had previously criticized the Biden administration's Title IX changes introduced in July 2022, urging the NCAA to remove provisions allowing biological males to compete in women's sports to protect the integrity of women's sports. He has also initiated similar legal actions in support of the "Save Women’s Sports Acts" in West Virginia and Arizona.
Reports indicate that DeSantis and former President Donald Trump have reconciled after a tense period during DeSantis' unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination earlier this year. The Washington Post reported that the two met privately in Miami, ending a prolonged period of estrangement between the two prominent Republican figures.