Trump is weighing DeSantis for defense secretary. What does it mean for Florida politics?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ possible departure from Tallahassee to take the helm of the Department of Defense is sending political shockwaves across the Sunshine State.
Amid signs that President-elect Donald Trump’s current pick for defense secretary, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, is facing crumbling confirmation odds in the U.S. Senate amid allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual assault, DeSantis has emerged as a top contender for the top Pentagon role, according to three people familiar with the situation.
It’s unclear whether DeSantis would accept the job if it’s offered to him. Yet his departure from the governor’s mansion would leave a staggering power vacuum in a state that has been thoroughly and unquestionably reshaped by DeSantis for nearly six years — and potentially reshape the state of politics in Florida ahead of the 2026 election.
“He casts a large shadow in Florida. There’s no question,” said Jamie Miller, a Republican consultant and former executive director of the Florida GOP. Miller added that, while there are other top Republicans who can step in to fill the leadership vacuum left by DeSantis, “it won’t be without its growing pains.”
Neither Trump’s transition team nor DeSantis’ office responded to the Herald/Times’ requests for comment on the possibility that the Florida governor could be named to lead the Defense Department should Hegseth’s nomination fall through. In Washington, Hegseth said on Wednesday that Trump was still behind him, and he was still seeking support from senators. Two other sources said that while DeSantis is a legitimate contender, there were obstacles to consider both politically and personally.
But people familiar with the situation told the Herald/Times that DeSantis is a serious contender for defense secretary.
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“It’s real and barring something happening, I fully expect it to happen,” one source told the Herald/Times.
A second person familiar with the situation said it was “very” real that DeSantis could be tapped for defense secretary.
“It’s serious and I think he’s leaning toward it,” the person said.
Domino Effect
If DeSantis does, in fact, accept an offer to join the Trump administration, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez would be first in line to succeed him — a move that would make her the first female governor in state history, as well as Florida’s first Cuban-American governor.
READ MORE: Who is Jeanette Núñez? The first in line to replace Ron DeSantis as Florida governor
It’s a job that Núñez would hold for just two years before the next gubernatorial election in 2026. Several high-profile Florida Republicans, ranging from U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds to state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, are believed to be eyeing a run for the governor’s mansion — but running against an incumbent might change the calculus for some potential candidates.
DeSantis’ departure from the governor’s mansion would add to a growing list of vacancies at the top levels of Florida’s government. State CFO Jimmy Patronis announced last week that he would resign his office to run for Florida’s 1st congressional district after now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz stepped down.
If Núñez ascends to the governor’s office, she would have a chance to appoint a replacement lieutenant governor, as well as a new CFO. Both Trump and Patronis have already thrown their support behind state Sen. Joe Gruters for the CFO job.
DeSantis is also in the process of choosing a replacement for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who is expected to resign from the upper chamber to become Trump’s secretary of state. DeSantis previously said that he has begun vetting potential Senate appointees and expects to make a decision by early January.
READ MORE: Ron DeSantis says he will likely decide Marco Rubio’s successor by early January
Several Florida Republicans are in the mix for the Senate appointment, including Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who has said publicly that she’s open to taking the position. The Bulwark reported Wednesday morning that the potential of DeSantis nominating Lara Trump as a senator could factor into the decision to appoint the governor to lead the Department of Defense.
DeSantis’ Shadow
Even if DeSantis ultimately becomes Trump’s defense secretary, Republicans said that the governor and his legacy would still loom large over state government and its policy priorities, especially in the coming months when lawmakers will return to Tallahassee for their 2025 legislative session.
Don Gaetz, the former Florida Senate president who is coming in as a new Republican senator next legislative session, said he believes DeSantis’ policies will “continue to guide the next legislative session” even if he is tapped as defense secretary.
“The public health policies his administration implemented during COVID the social policy issues whether it be abortion or other things DeSantis championed, those are enshrined in statute in Florida now,” Gaetz told the Herald/Times in an interview. “So, even if he left to become secretary of defense, those policies continue unless the next Legislature and governor changes them.”
Gaetz, the father of former Congressman Matt Gaetz, said that his district in Northwest Florida is concerned about affordability, which is quickly shaping up to be the overarching theme of the next lawmaking session.
“We’re proud to be the free state of Florida but we are becoming an unaffordable state because of high property insurance costs and housing costs in our area and because of significant increased energy costs,” Gaetz said. “Those are the issues that matter in my area and to my constituents as opposed to trying to dismantle Gov. Ron DeSantis’ policies.”
Gaetz added: “Had I been there, I would have voted for his policies, so I’m not trying to dismantle them.”
One Florida lobbyist said that DeSantis’ departure would likely be welcomed by some state lawmakers – including some Republicans – who have privately griped that the governor’s heavy-handed approach to policy making and frequent focus on culture war issues have often forced legislators to put other priorities on the backburner.
Miller, the former Florida GOP executive director, said that DeSantis’ eventual successor would still likely come into office with outsized influence, but added that filling the void left by DeSantis’ departure would be a difficult task.
“Obviously anyone who wants to step in for the governor would have big shoes to fill,” he said.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 9:47 AM.