Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) appears to be considering another White House run in 2028, not officially ruling it out in an interview that will be released on Tuesday. DeSantis, who is term-limited, is set to leave office in January 2027, giving him roughly a year before the start of the 2028 presidential primary season to decide whether to launch another White House bid.
“We’ll see,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity on his podcast, “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” The Hill reported.
Following his opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns and a nearly 20-point reelection victory in 2022, DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential race as a leading contender. However, a prolonged rivalry with Donald Trump, combined with strong support among Republican voters for the former president, limited DeSantis’ momentum during the campaign.
DeSantis finished a distant second to Trump in the Iowa caucuses, receiving just over 21 percent of the vote and nine delegates. He withdrew from the race ahead of the New Hampshire primary and endorsed Trump.
He ultimately placed third in the Republican primary, behind Trump and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. In his interview with Hannity, DeSantis said that if Trump had not been in the race, he believes he would have received support from roughly 90 percent of Republican voters in Iowa.
“They were conservative voters, right? They didn’t want the non-conservative; they wanted me,” he said. “But the timing didn’t work out, obviously, for that. So you just got to see what happens.”
Looking ahead to the 2028 Republican presidential race, Vice President J.D. Vance holds an early polling advantage among GOP voters, The Hill reported.
A survey conducted by Echelon Insights earlier this month found that 40 percent of 436 Republican-leaning respondents supported Vance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio received 16 percent, while Donald Trump Jr., Ron DeSantis, and Nikki Haley each drew single-digit support at 9 percent, 5 percent, and 5 percent, respectively. Thirteen percent of respondents said they were undecided.
A separate poll conducted by The Public Sentiment Institute found that 13.5 percent of 173 registered Republicans supported DeSantis, placing him third behind Vance and Rubio, who received 29.3 percent and 15.5 percent support, respectively. Nearly 10 percent of respondents said they were undecided or unsure.
Earlier this month, Trump asked a group of donors at his Mar-a-Lago estate for their thoughts about Vance and Rubio. “What do you think of JD Vance and Marco Rubio?” Trump asked, the Wall Street Journal reported.
According to sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, donors applauded loudly for Rubio. The applause for Rubio was reportedly louder than the reaction for Vance. The informal poll came one day after Trump placed Rubio prominently in the administration’s public posture.
Trump noted Monday during a press conference in Florida that Vance had been “less enthusiastic” about going to war with Iran. Trump also described differences in the way the two men approach politics and diplomacy.
“He gets a little bit tough on occasion; we gotta slow him down on occasion,” Trump said about Vance. Trump then contrasted that approach with Rubio’s style: “Then we have the opposite extreme,” Trump said. “Marco does it with a velvet glove. But it’s a kill,” Trump added.
Despite the strong reaction from donors, a recent poll suggests Vance may hold greater influence among voters. A survey conducted by the Daily Mail and JL Partners between March 2 and March 3 asked voters which figures have the most influence in Trump’s inner circle.
Vance led the poll with 19 percent. Rubio received 12 percent. Stephen Miller and Donald Trump Jr. were tied for third place. The poll surveyed 1,020 registered voters and had a margin of error of 3.1 percent. The same survey found Rubio’s approval rating declined from 40 percent in February to 36 percent on Friday.