Divisions between different factions of the GOP are beginning to take shape in key states ahead of the 2025 and 2026 elections. In Florida, first lady Casey DeSantis mulling a gubernatorial bid as Rep.

President Trump’s endorsement of Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) for Florida governor is revealing fissures among the state’s Republicans in a state that has become the center of the GOP universe. Trump’s endorsement is extremely valuable in Florida given his widespread popularity in the state.

- Casey DeSantis introduces her husband, Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to attendees at the Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Kissimmee,

The Florida governor's race could set up a battle between the president and one of the country's most prominent GOP governors.

Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds’ early entry into the 2026 Florida governor’s race deepens a hard-edged divide among state Republicans.

In June 2024, a poll from the FAU Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab (PolCom Lab) and Mainstreet Research found that 43 percent of respondents chose Casey DeSantis as their preferred 2026 GOP gubernatorial candidate, with Donalds ...

Donalds, a Congressman from Naples, hasn’t had much to say about the DeSantis family positioning itself for a third term in Tallahassee. He has preferred to let the endorsement from Trump, who won by double digits over Kamala Harris in November, do the talking for him.

Casey DeSantis has the best favorability rating of Republicans speculated in a 2026 run for Florida governor, according to a UNF poll released Tuesday morning.

DeSantis, who has arguably risen to become the most powerful governor in Florida history, may leave office without someone determined to preserve his legacy.