Ron DeSantis addresses a crowd while President Donald Trump watches at a rally in Tampa, Florida – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by jctabb
The potential departure of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis from Tallahassee to lead the Department of Defense is causing political upheaval in the Sunshine State.
According to three people familiar with the matter, DeSantis has become a leading candidate for the top Pentagon position amid indications that Fox News host Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s current choice for defense secretary, is losing ground in the U.S. Senate due to accusations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse.
If DeSantis were offered the position, it is uncertain if he would accept it. However, his exit from the governor’s mansion would create a startling power vacuum in a state that DeSantis has radically and irrefutably changed over the past six years, and it might also change Florida politics before the 2026 election.
He has a big impact in Florida. Republican strategist Jamie Miller, a former executive director of the Florida GOP, stated that there is no doubt. Although there are other prominent Republicans who may take DeSantis’ place as leader, Miller said that “it won’t be without its growing pains.”
When asked if the Florida governor may be appointed to head the Defense Department in the event that Hegseth’s nomination fails, the Herald/Times received no response from either DeSantis’ office or Trump’s transition team. Hegseth stated Wednesday in Washington that he was still looking for senatorial support and that Trump was still on his side. According to two other sources, DeSantis is a serious candidate, but there are personal and political barriers to take into account.
However, the Herald/Times was informed by persons with knowledge of the matter that DeSantis is a strong candidate for defense secretary.
One source told the Herald/Times, “It’s real and barring something happening, I fully expect it to happen.”
According to a second source with knowledge of the matter, DeSantis’s potential appointment as defense secretary was “very” real.
The guy stated, “I think he’s leaning toward it, and it’s serious.”
The Domino Effect
In the event that DeSantis accepts an offer to join the Trump administration, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez would be the first to take over as governor, becoming the first female governor in the state’s history and the first Cuban-American governor of Florida.
Núñez would only serve in that position for two years until the 2026 gubernatorial election. It is thought that a number of well-known Florida Republicans, including state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and U.S. Representative Byron Donalds, are considering a run for the governor’s office; however, some prospective candidates may reconsider their decision if they are running against an incumbent.
With DeSantis leaving the governor’s house, there would be more openings at the highest echelons of Florida government. Following the resignation of now-former Representative Matt Gaetz, State CFO Jimmy Patronis declared last week that he will leave his position to run for Florida’s first congressional district.
Should Núñez become governor, she would have the opportunity to name a new CFO and a replacement lieutenant governor. Both Patronis and Trump have already endorsed state senator Joe Gruters for the position of CFO.
Additionally, DeSantis is now selecting a successor for U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who is anticipated to leave the upper house to take a position as secretary of state under Trump. In the past, DeSantis stated that he has started screening possible Senate appointees and anticipates reaching a decision by the beginning of January.
Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, has openly stated that she is open to accepting the Senate nomination, making her one of several Florida Republicans in the running. The Bulwark said Wednesday morning that DeSantis’s choice to name the governor to head the Department of Defense may be influenced by the possibility that he would nominate Lara Trump as a senator.
The Shadow of DeSantis
Republicans stated that the governor and his legacy will continue to have a significant impact on state government and its policy initiatives, even if DeSantis ends up being Trump’s defense secretary. This is particularly true in the months leading up to lawmakers’ return to Tallahassee for their 2025 legislative session.
Even if DeSantis is appointed defense secretary, Don Gaetz, the former president of the Florida Senate who will be a new Republican senator in the upcoming legislative session, stated that he thinks DeSantis’ policies will “continue to guide the next legislative session.”
In an interview with the Herald/Times, Gaetz stated, “The public health policies his administration implemented during COVID, the social policy issues whether it be abortion or other things DeSantis championed, those are enshrined in statute in Florida now.” Therefore, unless the next Legislature and governor alter them, such policies remain in effect even if he departs to take a position as secretary of defense.
According to Gaetz, the father of former Congressman Matt Gaetz, affordability is a major worry in his constituency in Northwest Florida and is rapidly becoming the main topic of discussion for the upcoming legislative session.
“We are proud to be the free state of Florida, but due to the high cost of housing and property insurance in our area, as well as the significantly higher cost of energy, we are becoming an unaffordable state,” Gaetz stated. “Rather than attempting to undermine Governor Ron DeSantis’ policies, those are the issues that are important to my constituents and to my community.”
“I’m not trying to dismantle his policies because I would have voted for them if I had been there,” Gaetz continued.
Some state lawmakers, including some Republicans, have privately complained that the governor’s authoritarian approach to policymaking and frequent focus on culture war issues have frequently forced lawmakers to put other priorities on the back burner. According to a lobbyist in Florida, some lawmakers would likely welcome DeSantis’ departure.
Miller, the former executive director of the Florida GOP, stated that while DeSantis’ ultimate successor would still probably have a significant amount of influence when they took office, it would be challenging to fill the gap created by his departure.
He remarked, “Obviously, anyone who wants to replace the governor would have big shoes to fill.”
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
