A poll just confirmed what Florida conservatives already knew – Ron DeSantis still runs this state.
Now every Republican who wants to be the next governor is holding their breath waiting for him to decide their fate.
And DeSantis told Fox News he is in absolutely no rush.
The Most Valuable Endorsement in Florida Politics
The political press keeps getting this wrong.
They see a term-limited governor with a failed presidential campaign behind him and assume the power is gone.
It isn't.
A University of North Florida survey of likely Republican primary voters found that a DeSantis endorsement moves the gubernatorial numbers more than a Trump endorsement does.
In a state Trump just won by 13 points – with Trump's own handpicked candidate already in the race – DeSantis' backing is worth more to undecided primary voters.
That is not a lame duck.
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That is a kingmaker who hasn't made his move yet.
On Sunday Morning Futures this weekend, DeSantis was asked when he plans to weigh in on his successor. His answer was calm, deliberate, and completely in control.
"I've got to deal with this property tax. I've got to deal with the budget," he said. "I typically don't do the political stuff prior to me getting all the ducks in a row."
He decides when this happens.
Not the candidates.
Not the press. Him.
Why Byron Donalds Still Needs Him
Trump endorsed Byron Donalds in February 2025.
Since then, Donalds has lined up Rick Scott, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Jeff Landry, Mike Johnson, 17 members of the Florida congressional delegation, and $45 million in the bank.
By every conventional measure, this race should be over.
And yet Donalds still needs DeSantis.
https://twitter.com/ElectionTime_/status/2055636434317648267?s=20
Without the governor's blessing, Donalds enters the general as the man who won despite DeSantis – not because of him.
DeSantis built the Free State of Florida brand that every Republican in this race is running on.
Former House Speaker Paul Renner, who jumped in after DeSantis called his entry "ill-advised," literally invoked that brand in his announcement. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins – a DeSantis appointee – is running on it too.
Every candidate is asking Florida Republicans to trust them with something DeSantis built. That is leverage, and he knows exactly what it is worth.
The Record That Made the Leverage Real
DeSantis didn't land here by accident.
When he took office, Florida had 300,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans. When he leaves, it will have 1.5 million more Republicans.
He fought COVID lockdowns when every corporate boardroom and media outlet said he was killing people. He was right.
He took on Disney when Republicans in Washington were still writing the mouse thank-you notes.
He passed the strongest parental rights legislation in the country while Democrats called it a hate crime.
He delivered, and Florida conservatives remember every fight.
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That record is why his endorsement still moves numbers above the president's among primary voters in his own state.
When he says he has "unfinished business" and "a lot of irons in the fire," conservatives hear a man who earned the right to take his time.
What Comes Next
DeSantis said he hasn't been thinking about what comes after January because doing so publicly while still in office would signal the wrong priorities.
"If you're out there peacocking about doing other things, then it's like, well, wait a minute," he said.
Serious people are thinking about it, though.
Trump told a reporter he would consider a role for DeSantis once he leaves Tallahassee.
"I think he's good, doing a good job," Trump said.
Conservative columnist Dana Loesch called DeSantis "the most successful conservative governor in modern American history and a blueprint for every Republican governor to follow."
His term ends January 5, 2027.
Between now and then, he has a property tax special session to close, a budget to sign, and one of the most consequential endorsements in Florida history to deliver when he's good and ready.
Nobody who built what he built rushes the last chapter.
Sources:
- A.G. Gancarski, "'Unfinished business': Ron DeSantis in no rush to endorse successor or to declare post-gubernatorial plans," Florida Politics, May 31, 2026.
- Staff, "Florida GOP voters say a DeSantis endorsement for governor would mean more than Trump's," WLRN, February 24, 2026.
- Staff, "Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry Backs Byron Donalds In Florida's 2026 Gubernatorial Race," Tampa Free Press, 2026.
- Staff, "Trump Praises DeSantis, Leaves Door Open for Administration Role," RVM News, May 2026.
- Dana Loesch, "Why DeSantis should serve in the Trump administration," The Washington Times, May 2026.
