{"id":2376369,"date":"2024-12-04T17:34:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T22:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-could-shake-up-florida-races-if-he-joins-trump-administration-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-12-04T17:34:53","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T22:34:53","slug":"desantis-could-shake-up-florida-races-if-he-joins-trump-administration-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-could-shake-up-florida-races-if-he-joins-trump-administration-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis could shake up Florida races if he joins Trump administration &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdesantis-could-shake-up-florida-races-if-he-joins-trump-administration-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2376369&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the \u200cpotential implications of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis being appointed as\u2063 Secretary of Defense by President-elect Donald\u2064 Trump, as\u2064 this\u200c could considerably impact \u2063the 2026 gubernatorial race in Florida. Current nominee Pete Hegseth\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">candidacy faces challenges due<\/a> \u2063to concerns about his \u200bpast conduct, \u200bleading\u2062 to speculation about DeSantis \u2063being considered as a replacement. If DeSantis were to\u2062 leave his \u2064position, Lt. Gov. Jeanette N\u00fa\u00f1ez would\u200d succeed him,\u2064 positioning her as a strong \u200bcandidate for governor, possibly facing\u2064 competition from former Rep.Matt Gaetz adn Rep. \u200bByron Donalds.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore,\u200b the article highlights that the political landscape in Florida could become\u2063 increasingly complex, with names like Rick Scott emerging as another potential candidate.There are suggestions that Gaetz and\u2064 Donalds \u2064might \u200dstrategically\u200d position themselves for different \u200droles\u2063 (governor vs. senator) to maximize their chances for success, notably with trump&#8217;s influence backing\u2064 them. The piece also mentions DeSantis\u2019 \u200bconsideration for filling U.S. Senator Marco \u200cRubio\u2019s\u200d seat, indicating \u2062an ever-shifting political dynamic in the \u2064state.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Possible DeSantis elevation to Trump&rsquo;s defense secretary would upend Florida&rsquo;s gubernatorial race<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1881677\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>If President-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a> taps Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ron-desantis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ron DeSantis<\/a> (R-FL) to be his next secretary of defense over current nominee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pete Hegseth<\/a>, it will upend the 2026 governor race in the Sunshine State.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination remains in jeopardy as Republican senators voice growing concerns about his past conduct with women and alcohol, which has Trump reportedly considering DeSantis as his backup replacement.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3223892\/president-elect-donald-trump-cabinet-picks-list\/\"><strong>TRUMP CABINET PICKS: WHO&rsquo;S BEEN TAPPED TO SERVE IN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT&rsquo;S ADMINISTRATION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hegseth claims he&rsquo;s not withdrawing his name from consideration despite reports that meetings with lawmakers are Thursday have been rescheduled. &ldquo;I spoke to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-kelly-same-people-criticizing-trump-peddled-russia-collusion-hoax\/\" title=\"Mike Kelly: Same People Criticizing Trump Peddled Russia Collusion Hoax\">president-elect<\/a> this morning. He said keep going keep fighting. I&rsquo;m behind you all the way,&rdquo; Hegseth <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/alanhe\/status\/1864312506799308956?s=46&amp;t=r4CaCmNQe5oHrrTZixeUJg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">told<\/a> CBS News Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Still, if DeSantis moves up to lead the Defense Department, there would be the political equivalent of musical chairs.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It would cause a seismic shift and the political gamesmanship about who wants to pursue which seat in 2026,&rdquo; said Ford O&rsquo;Connell, a Florida Republican strategist.<\/p>\n<p>  Lt. Gov. Jeanette N&uacute;&ntilde;ez (R-FL) would succeed DeSantis as the chief executive of Florida, according to state law. N&uacute;&ntilde;ez would almost certainly have the advantage in the 2026 race as the incumbent governor and would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-say-bidens-female-led-comms-is-a-first-trump-has-that-now\/\" title=\"Media Say Biden&#039;s Female-Led Comms Is A First. Trump Has That Now\">make history<\/a> as the state&rsquo;s first female governor.<\/p>\n<p>But she will likely face stiff competition if former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz decides to run for governor after his attorney general bid flamed out last month, or if Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) decides to throw his hat in the race. (DeSantis is term-limited and could no longer run for governor in 2026.)<\/p>\n<p>O&rsquo;Connell, however, pushed back on N&uacute;&ntilde;ez becoming the de facto winner in 2026 if she succeeds DeSantis. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s going to help her be a front-runner because the bench is so deep in Florida. If someone like Byron Donalds were to get in that race, he&rsquo;d automatically become the front runner,&rdquo; he said. <\/p>\n<p>A source familiar with Florida&rsquo;s Republican scene told the<em> Washington Examiner<\/em>, &ldquo;Some people are saying that Rick Scott might want to go back and be governor of Florida.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Scott&rsquo;s office did not respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n<p>But if he ran, it would complicate a race that could already feature Nu&ntilde;ez, Gaetz, and Byron Donalds.<\/p>\n<p>However, the source claimed that if Gaetz and Donalds were to come to an agreement where &ldquo;one chose to run for governor, the other chose to run for senator, they both could win&rdquo; given Trump&rsquo;s support for both candidates. <\/p>\n<p>DeSantis was already weighing options to fill Sen. Marco Rubio&rsquo;s (R-FL) seat after Trump tapped the senator as his Secretary of State nominee. The Florida governor could likely tap Lara Trump, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-cant-deny-responsibility-for-our-so-so-divided-nation\/\" title=\"Biden Can\u2019t Deny Responsibility For Our \u2018So, So Divided\u2019 Nation\">president-elect&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, to replace Rubio.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If I am appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and he feels that I&rsquo;m the right fit to take over the U.S. Senate seat for Marco Rubio, those are big shoes to fill, but I would take it very seriously,&rdquo; said Lara Trump at The <em>Washington Post<\/em>&rsquo;s 2024 Global Women&rsquo;s Summit in November.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LaraLeaTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@laraleatrump<\/a> tells <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarolLeonnig?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@CarolLeonnig<\/a>, &#8220;If I am appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and he feels that I&#8217;m the right fit to take over the U.S. Senate seat for Marco Rubio, those are big shoes to fill, but I would take it very seriously.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NJEby9fQqu\">pic.twitter.com\/NJEby9fQqu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Washington Post Live (@PostLive) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PostLive\/status\/1859704000427286899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 21, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>There was some speculation DeSantis would appoint a placeholder to Rubio&rsquo;s seat, such as his chief of staff James Uthmeier, and would then run for the Senate in 2026. But if he were Defense Secretary that position would place him in a prime position for a presidential run in 2028, although he would likely be challenging Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.<\/p>\n<p>Dennis Lennox, a Republican strategist, expressed skepticism over DeSantis&rsquo;s willingness to return to Washington after serving as a congressman from 2013 to 2018. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3220465\/what-trump-promised-day-one-white-house\/\"><strong>WHAT TRUMP HAS PROMISED TO DO ON DAY 1 IN THE OVAL OFFICE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While the Pentagon is a plum gig, it&rsquo;s hard to see how he could parlay that for something down the road. I suppose leaving the governorship early is the one way he can best position his lieutenant governor and heir presumptive, Jeanette Nu&ntilde;ez, against a Matt Gaetz or Byron Donalds,&rdquo; Lennox said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But if that&rsquo;s his objective then camping out in Marco Rubio&rsquo;s Senate seat makes more sense. Going to the upper chamber would keep DeSantis on the scene until 2032, if J.D. Vance doesn&rsquo;t keep the White House in 2028,&rdquo; he added. <\/p>\n<p>Floridian voters will also decide on April 1, 2025, who will fill Gaetz&rsquo;s seat after his resignation from Congress. Trump endorsed&nbsp;Jimmy Patronis, the state&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tokyo-olympics-set-to-go-on-regardless-of-covid-19-pandemic\/\" title=\"Tokyo Olympics Set To Go On \u2018Regardless\u2019 Of COVID-19 Pandemic\">chief financial officer<\/a>, to replace Gaetz in the 1st Congressional District in a Truth Social post.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As your next Congressman, Jimmy would work tirelessly alongside of me to grow our economy, secure our border, stop migrant crime, strengthen our incredible military\/vets, restore American energy DOMINANCE, and defend our always under siege Second Amendment,&rdquo; Trump said. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Should he decide to enter this Race, Jimmy Patronis has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JIMMY, RUN!&rdquo; he continued.<\/p>\n<p>Patronis sent in his letter of resignation last month to run for the seat, which has a primary on Jan. 28, 2025, with April 1, 2025, as the scheduled date for the special election. His last day is March 31, 2025. <\/p>\n<p>Floridians will also decide on who will replace Rep. Mike Waltz, who is leaving Congress to become Trump&rsquo;s national security advisor. State Sen. Randy Fine received Trump&rsquo;s backing for the 6th Congressional District and launched his bid last week. <\/p>\n<p>Trump &ldquo;needs fighters who will Make America Wealthy Again, Make American Safe Again, and someone who will stand up for Israel,&rdquo; he <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/VoteRandyFine\/status\/1861390947361096058\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">wrote on X<\/a>. &ldquo;That is why today I&rsquo;m announcing my candidacy for FL 6th Congressional District.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1881677\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1881677\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DeSantis as Trump&#8217;s defense secretary could disrupt Florida&#8217;s governor race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2376370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/DeSantis-RNC-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4980,41746,32640],"class_list":["post-2376369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-desantis","tag-florida-races","tag-trump-administration"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/DeSantis-RNC-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2376369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2376369"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2376369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2376373,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2376369\/revisions\/2376373"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2376370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2376369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2376369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2376369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}