Florida's outgoing governor says he hasn't reached out to anyone. His super PAC is fundraising again, and a longtime donor says the midterms handed him an opening.
By Joseph Jackson | TAMPA (Nov. 7, 2026)
Updated Nov. 8, 2026, with DeSantis's record on Alligator Alcatraz and his "build the wall" campaign ads.
The short version
The Washington Post reported Friday, citing three people briefed on his plans, that Gov. Ron DeSantis is preparing to seek the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.
DeSantis called the report fabricated "out of whole cloth" in a post on X and said he has not reached out to anybody about running.
His argument, an adviser told the Post: Florida was one of the few red states to mostly withstand Tuesday's Democratic sweep.
His record would come with him: Alligator Alcatraz, the Everglades detention camp that closed in June after about a year, and two "build the wall" campaign videos, from 2018 and 2023.
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is preparing to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, The Washington Post reported Friday evening, citing three people briefed on his plans.
DeSantis denied it within hours. "The Washington Post is fabricating this out of whole cloth," he wrote on X, Fox News reported. He also said he has not contacted anyone about running for anything, The Washington Times reported.
What the Post reported
According to the Post, DeSantis has contacted at least one national political consultant about working on a possible campaign. His federal super PAC also sent a fundraising text this week, which the Post described as a sign of intent, Anadolu Agency reported.
An adviser told the Post that Florida's showing on Tuesday will be a core part of his pitch. The Post updated its story after publication to include DeSantis's denial.
Dan Eberhart, a longtime Republican donor who backed DeSantis in 2024, told the Post that Florida holding against the blue wave gives DeSantis more credibility than almost anyone as the 2028 primary opens, Newser reported. Newser also noted a perception that Vice President JD Vance's chances took a major hit in the midterms.
What ABC's sources say
ABC News reported a softer version. Two people familiar with DeSantis's thinking said he is keeping his options open but has not made a final decision, ABC reported Saturday. They said he is watching whether there is a lane for him and whether he would perform well.
"Extinction-level event"
At a news conference at the Florida Capitol on Wednesday, DeSantis called the midterms "close to an extinction-level event for Republicans," according to ABC.
He credited Florida Republicans' showing to his record and to the property tax ballot measure, which he said drove Republicans to the polls, The Washington Times reported. He also said Florida Democrats posted their highest midterm turnout in modern state history, 68% of registered voters, WWSB reported.
The record he'd run on
An adviser told the Post that DeSantis would pitch himself on Florida's record. That record includes Alligator Alcatraz and two campaign videos built around Trump's border wall.
Alligator Alcatraz. In the summer of 2025, DeSantis's administration built an immigration detention center on an abandoned airstrip in the Everglades. Trump toured it with him on July 1, 2025, Fox News reported. The Florida Division of Emergency Management ran it.
Environmental groups sued, arguing it skipped federal environmental review. In April, a federal appeals court let it stay open, 2-1. In her dissent, Judge Nancy Abudu wrote that it was built hastily in one of the country's most fragile ecosystems, FOX 13 reported.
On June 25, DeSantis announced the camp was shutting down, about a year after it opened, The Washington Post reported. He said it "fulfilled the role that it was designed to serve," the News Service of Florida reported. A state official told Fox News it processed more than 21,000 people for deportation. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando, called it a failure and cited a cost of about $1 million a day, FOX 10 reported.
The 2018 ad. In his first run for governor, DeSantis aired a 30-second ad, released July 30, 2018, that cast him as Trump's biggest fan, Roll Call reported. In it he helps his young daughter stack toy blocks and tells her to "build the wall." He reads Trump's "The Art of the Deal" to his infant son as the words "Pitbull Trump Defender" cross the screen.
When the two became rivals in November 2022, Trump shared that ad to mock him, Business Insider reported.
The 2023 video. Running for president, DeSantis promised to finish the job himself. On June 25, 2023, a day before he rolled out his border plan in Eagle Pass, Texas, his campaign released a video called "No Excuses," Fox News reported. It ends: "We will build the wall. We will stop the invasion." The campaign also sold "Build The Wall. No Excuses." merchandise.
Now DeSantis is weighing a run as the Republican who can win after Trump. The border record he would carry into that race was built in Trump's image.
Why this matters in Florida
DeSantis is term-limited. Gov.-elect Byron Donalds takes office in January. Before he leaves, DeSantis has promised a special session to set the schedule for more homestead property tax relief under Amendment 3, WWSB reported. FMNN explained what that session can and can't change here.
His name surfaced in Washington this week for a different job, too. CBS reported Trump has weighed DeSantis as a replacement for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as FMNN reported. Neither DeSantis nor the White House has confirmed that.
DeSantis ran for president in 2024 and dropped out after losing the New Hampshire primary to Trump, The Washington Times noted.
FMNN will update this story with any further response from DeSantis or his political committee.
Related reading
Trump Weighs Replacing Hegseth With DeSantis as Impeachment Vote Nears
Can Florida Stop Amendment 3? The Real Options, and the Odds
Opinion | Florida Is for Sale, and Byron Donalds Just Became the Closing Agent
Sources
The Washington Post — https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/11/06/ron-desantis-plans-another-white-house-bid-after-failing-2024/
Fox News via WFMD — https://www.wfmd.com/2026/11/07/desantis-blasts-washington-post-over-report-hes-preparing-2028-presidential-bid/
The Washington Times — https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/nov/7/desantis-denies-reports-planning-2028-presidential-campaign/
ABC News — https://abcnews.com/Politics/ron-desantis-door-open-presidential-run-made-final/story?id=137933111
Anadolu Agency — https://aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-florida-gov-ron-desantis-planning-another-white-house-run/4114848
Newser — https://www.newser.com/story/399597/desantis-begins-to-make-his-move-for-presidential-run.html
WWSB — https://www.mysuncoast.com/2026/11/04/desantis-announces-news-conference-florida-capitol/
Fox News, Alligator Alcatraz — https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ron-desantis-reveals-become-infamous-alligator-alcatraz-ice-holding-faci
FOX 13, appeals court ruling — https://www.fox13news.com/news/appeals-court-rules-alligator-alcatraz-can-stay-open-rejecting-push-federal-environmental-impact-review
The Washington Post, closure — https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/06/25/floridas-alligator-alcatraz-will-cease-operations-gov-ron-desantis-says/
News Service of Florida via Ocala Gazette — https://www.ocalagazette.com/?p=110490
FOX 10, Rep. Frost — https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/is-alligator-alcatraz-closing-florida-congressman-speaks-ice-detention-center
Roll Call, 2018 ad — https://www.rollcall.com/2018/07/30/desantis-teaches-his-kids-the-abcs-of-trump-in-new-ad/
Business Insider, Trump shares the ad — https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/trump-trolls-desantis-sharing-old-video-showing-his-fawning-trump-support-as-the-two-emerge-as-rivals-for-2024/articleshow/95532865.cms
Fox News, 2023 "No Excuses" video — https://www.foxnews.com/politics/stop-invasion-desantis-2024-campaign-video-previews-major-border-policy-rollout