With buzz growing that U.S. Rep. Ron DeSanits, R-Fla., could run for governor next year, the third term congressman took to the airwaves and weighed in on whether he would enter the race, saying it could be “several months” before he makes a final decision.
DeSantis appeared on “The Ed Dean Show” on WBOB 600 AM in Jacksonville on Wednesday morning and was asked about running for governor.
“We’re looking at things but I’m not going to do anything anytime soon,” DeSantis said. “We have a full plate up here.” DeSantis said his focus was on healthcare, taxes and other issues in Washington.
“We’ll have time to make those decisions but I haven’t ruled anything out,” he added. “We’re several months away from doing it.”
DeSantis said he did have a good team in place from his brief U.S. Senate run last year and said he was far better prepared to run for statewide office than he was two years ago.
Turning to security issues and terrorism, DeSantis, who chairs the U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee, praised concealed carry measures and praised the Trump administration’s handling of the war on terror.
“You shouldn’t show any tolerance for militant Islam,” DeSantis said, calling for the Muslim Brotherhood to be designated as a terrorist group and backing Trump’s executive actions limiting travel from six Middle Eastern nations.
In recent days, DeSantis has garnered increased buzz as a possible gubernatorial candidate in recent days. At the end of last week, conservative national radio show host Mark Levin urged DeSantis to enter the contest, praising his credentials. Politico reported that DeSantis has been holding meetings with supporters across the state, testing the political waters.
First elected to Congress in 2012, DeSantis has garnered attention at the national level as a possible candidate for statewide office in the future. A graduate of Yale and Harvard Law School, DeSantis served as in the Navy JAG Corps. DeSantis waged a brief campaign for the Republican nomination to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., last year. When Rubio decided at the last moment to run for a second term in the Senate, DeSantis dropped out of the race and ran for a third term in the House. DeSantis, who currently chairs the House National Security Subcommittee, is being urged by the conservative Madison Project, which backed his Senate bid, to run for governor. He’s also considered a possible candidate in next year’s state attorney general’s race.
If he enters the race, DeSantis does not have an open shot at the Republican nomination. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and Bob White, the chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, are currently running in the Republican primary.
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