THE DEMOCRATS WHO COULD RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028

Speaking on Sean Hannity’s podcast in March, DeSantis didn’t rule out possibly running for president in the next cycle.

“We’ll see,” he said. “I think that in ’24, like in Iowa, the people that voted for Trump, if he wasn’t running, I would’ve gotten like 90% of those people.”

As in 2022, DeSantis had signed several bills resembling national Republican objectives, including legislation involving vaccine mandates, redistricting, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Andy Ballard, a professor of political science at Florida State University, framed recent bill signings as DeSantis “piggybacking” on Trump-era policies that resonate with the president’s voter base.

“DeSantis has been sort of like trying to piggyback off of various nationalized Republican policies that largely have to do with the Trump administration,” Ballard said.

He added that DeSantis signing legislation that mirrors national GOP objectives is a tactic used across both parties to back later presidential runs. 

“This is one potential way for folks who are on that short list, either in the Democratic or Republican side, to signal, ‘Hey, I have a record of doing stuff that you, the national party, agree with, therefore you should consider me more,’” Ballard said. “These are the types of things that would be potentially consistent with a presidential run.”

Then and now

During the lead-up to his 2024 presidential bid, DeSantis used the 2022 and 2023 legislative sessions to advance a slate of policies that quickly became central to the national Republican platform, and in many cases, put him in direct conflict with the Biden administration.

At the time, DeSantis signed sweeping immigration measures, including transporting migrants to Democratic-led jurisdictions and increasing penalties tied to unauthorized immigration. 

He also approved restrictions on classroom instruction on gender identity and race, limits on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in higher education, and measures tightening voting laws. Additionally, he approved newly drawn congressional maps that added four Republican seats to Florida’s delegation.

The policies were framed as part of a broader push against what he described as federal overreach and progressive ideology, helping elevate his national profile as he prepared to run for president. Such moves often prompted legal challenges or sharp responses from Washington, reinforcing DeSantis’s position as a governor willing to test the boundaries of state authority opposed to federal policy.

A similar pattern emerged in late 2025 and early 2026.

DeSantis again prioritized legislation that mirrors national GOP priorities, including renewed efforts to expand state-level immigration enforcement, additional limits on DEI initiatives and education policy, and redistricting. 

In conjunction with legislation, DeSantis and his cabinet have taken their own stance on certain issues, particularly artificial intelligence.

In contrast to the Trump administration, which has been pedal-to-the-medal on AI, DeSantis has taken a more calculated approach. The governor has recently renewed calls for his “AI Bill of Rights,” which aims to protect consumer privacy, restrict AI use of personal likeness without consent, and enforce strict parental controls on AI chatbots.

As before, the measures are being rolled out with an eye toward broader political resonance, with DeSantis frequently framing Florida as a model for other Republican-led states and for potential federal policy. His messaging has also returned to direct contrasts with Democratic leadership in Washington, reviving themes that defined his earlier national campaign. 

The throughline between the two periods, Ballard said, is not just the substance of the policies but the strategy behind them: using state legislation to shape national debates, provoke partisan clashes, and build a record that appeals to Republican primary voters.

“He’s doing it in a way that is consistent with a lot of the stuff that we’re seeing all across the country, which is that at the state level, politics have become very nationalized,” Ballard said. “Particularly those who are in bigger states, or those who are trying to like curry favor with a more national party.” 

The shadow of 2024 in 2028

DeSantis’s 2024 presidential campaign faced struggles from the start, before Trump ever entered the race.

Rather than showcasing his young, picture-perfect family, DeSantis announcement was done via Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk in May 2023, which is now remembered as glitchy and lackluster.

Perhaps the biggest misstep by DeSantis came before he ever tossed his hat in the ring when he fired his then-political operative, Susie Wiles, over allegations she had leaked a fundraising document in 2019.

Wiles, who now serves as the White House Chief of Staff, went on to work for Trump, alongside several other people DeSantis dumped, including James Blair, who is heading the president’s political operation for the 2026 midterms. 

Other stains on his campaign included funding mismanagement, failure to retain major donors and political allies, as well as struggles over how to effectively contrast himself with Trump.

But DeSantis has one trait that has stuck with him and could pose challenges in 2028: his awkwardness. During the first GOP debate in November 2023, DeSantis’s body language, particularly his smile, prompted tabloids and news outlets alike to label him as “awkward.” 

Ballard said it would take an extensive and expensive public relations campaign to overcome such a distinction.

“I think it would be possible through an incredibly, incredibly concerted and sustained effort to get really good media training and get a PR team that is focused on exactly that and seriously commit to actions that are going to try and change that perception,” Ballard said. “I think that that is pretty unlikely to happen.”

Ballard said DeSantis has an “uphill climb” ready for him in 2028 as members of Trump’s cabinet, such as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are also viewed as potential contenders.

EVERYTHING IS ON THE LINE. REPUBLICANS CAN’T TAKE MIDTERMS FOR GRANTED

“I think that for someone else to be the Republican nominee in 2028, things are going to have to change a lot in the next few years,” Ballard said. “Now, things often change a lot in two years, and so I have no idea what will happen between now and then. Someone else sure might be the nominee, but it would be a real uphill climb for DeSantis, particularly in the next election cycle.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to DeSantis’s office for comment.