While the US Vance is shaking... Florida's DeSantis looks at presidential bid

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 6th (local time) that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is preparing to run for president in 2028 while the U.S. Republican Party suffered a crushing defeat in the November 3 midterm elections.

WP, citing three sources who were briefed on Governor DeSantis' plans, reported that he is preparing to run again for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028.

Analysis suggests that the fact that Florida is one of the few strongholds that maintained the Republican Party's lead in this midterm election, in which the Democratic Party won a landslide victory nationwide, could serve as a political asset for Governor DeSantis.

In Florida, the Republican Party won the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections, retained its existing seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and maintained its lead despite a nationwide Democratic landslide victory.

Governor DeSantis is scheduled to leave office in January of next year in accordance with the three-term limit, and in this election, Republican Congressman Byron Donalds, who received support from President Trump, defeated the Democratic candidate and was elected as the successor governor.

Governor DeSantis is said to have already approached at least one national political consultant about the possibility of joining his campaign.

In addition, the federal Super PAC (Special Political Action Committee) that supports him is also known to have sent text messages to raise donations this week.

Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor who supported the DeSantis camp, who was the Republican primary candidate in the 2024 presidential election, said, "The fact that Florida's defenses were not breached even by the Democratic Party's 'blue wave' gives DeSantis more confidence than anyone else in the early stages of the 2028 presidential primary."

Governor DeSantis also said at a press conference earlier that the election results were "almost an extinction event for the Republican Party."

Since the election, he has appeared one after another on major media outlets, including Fox News, highlighting his differentiated political position from President Trump.

Until this election, Vice President JD Vance was considered a strong front-runner in the 2028 Republican presidential primary as President Trump's political successor, but analysts say that the Republican Party's crushing defeat could lead to a change in this structure.

Governor DeSantis dropped out of the 2024 Republican presidential primary just before the New Hampshire primary, losing significantly to President Trump in approval ratings.

He only received 21.3% of the vote in the Iowa caucuses at the time, and suffered from conflicts between his campaign and outlying support organizations and excessive spending of campaign funds.

WP quoted a close associate as saying that Governor DeSantis learned from his experience at the time that he needed to increase media exposure and jump into the presidential race earlier.

However, after the WP report came out, Governor DeSantis drew a line on the rumors of his candidacy, telling X, "I have never contacted anyone about running in any election."