Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) had hoped to pass the gubernatorial baton to his wife, Casey DeSantis, when his full term runs out in 2027, describing her as the right person to take his accomplishments "to the next level.”
But an analysis piece in The Guardian suggested that a brewing financial scandal could derail the couple's plans of political dynasty and keep Casey DeSantis from even declaring her candidacy.
According to The Guardian, a charity Casey founded in 2021 called the Hope Florida Foundation with a mandate to reduce government funding for welfare programs has become "mired in controversy," as first reported by The Tampa Bay Times.
The Times found that the DeSantis administration "secretly directed $10m to the charity from a $67m overbilling settlement last year between the state’s agency for health care administration (AHCA) and the Medicare operator Centene. The direction was in apparent contradiction of Florida law requiring such money to be paid into a trust or act as general revenue for state legislators to spend."
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The Guardian quoted Frank Orlando, political science professor at St Leo University, who said "Casey DeSantis had essentially been caught up in the escalating dispute between her husband and state politicians, who are making hay from the Hope Florida situation."
Although the next steps for Florida's first lady are uncertain, The Guardian wrote that "some observers believe the controversy has ended any hope she had of becoming only the second woman, after Wyoming’s Nellie Tayloe Ross in 1925, to succeed her husband as a state governor."
But the negative publicity might not be a complete "death knell" for Casey's candidacy, according to Michael Binder, a political science professor at the University of North Florida.
Binder cited Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), "a Medicare embezzler" who won the governor’s race twice before being elected to the Senate. "So these things can pass," Binder said.
A poll conducted by Binder's department showed Casey DeSantis with a 30% approval rating overall, and a 57% approval rating among registered Republicans.