Florida governor Ron DeSantis denies plans for 2028 presidential run, calls report ‘fabricated’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has pushed back against a report that he is preparing to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2028, accusing The Washington Post of inventing claims about his political plans.

The newspaper reported on Friday, citing three people briefed on the matter, that DeSantis was making preparations for another White House campaign.

The governor rejected the account in a post on X, saying he had not contacted anyone about a possible run. “The Washington Post is fabricating this out of whole cloth. I have not reached out to anybody about running for anything. Just another pathetic attempt to garner clicks. Using anonymous sources of course!” DeSantis wrote.

The report emerged days after Democrats made significant gains in the November 3 midterm elections, winning control of Congress. Florida, however, remained a Republican stronghold, with the party retaining the governor's office.

Republican Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly in the Florida gubernatorial race, becoming the state's first Black governor. Donalds, who had Trump's backing, campaigned on affordability and pledged to continue the conservative policies pursued by DeSantis. He also benefited from a substantial campaign fund. Donalds has represented Florida in the US House of Representatives since 2021 and previously served two terms in the state legislature. He will succeed DeSantis as governor.

According to The Washington Post, the state's election results have strengthened DeSantis' position within the Republican Party as attention begins to shift towards the 2028 presidential contest. Dan Eberhart, a longtime GOP donor who worked on DeSantis' 2024 campaign, told the newspaper that Florida's performance had given the governor greater standing among potential candidates.

“Florida’s walls not being breached by the blue wave gives DeSantis more credibility than nearly anyone in the opening days of the 2028 primary,” Eberhart said.

DeSantis, 48, previously sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 but failed to overcome Donald Trump's support among party voters. He suspended his campaign in January that year, before the New Hampshire primary, and endorsed Trump.