Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ wife Casey DeSantis serves as first lady of the state and is a prospective Republican candidate for president in 2024.
Her husband recently won re-election as governor of Florida by easily defeating Democratic opponent Charlie Crist. Miami-Dade County, a stronghold for Democrats, was won by DeSantis with 55.3% of the vote. Many people view DeSantis as a potential challenger to former President Donald Trump in light of his electoral victory and the electoral defeat of some candidates chosen by Trump.
His wife Casey, whose full name is Jill Casey Black, supported him during the campaign and has accompanied him to numerous political functions. The couple got hitched in September 2010 at Disney World, and they also have a son and two daughters.
Casey, an Ohio native, received a Bachelor of Science in economics and a French minor from the College of Charleston. After her husband’s election as governor of Florida in 2018, DeSantis had a long career as a television host, reporter, and anchor.
DeSantis worked for a local news organisation in Jacksonville, Florida called WJXT for a long time. She started off as a general assignment reporter and then advanced to morning anchor.
Later, in 2014, she started moderating a discussion talk show that lasted an hour for both NBC’s WTLV and ABC’s WJXX. DeSantis also presented daily discussion shows, produced sports documentaries, and eventually won a Suncoast Emmy Award. Before transferring to her current position as the state’s first lady full-time, DeSantis spent many years working as one of Jacksonville’s most well-known anchors.
DeSantis was a three-time national winner in equestrian competition as well as the NCAA Division One runner-up.
DeSantis was given a breast cancer diagnosis in October 2021, according to an exclusive story published by Fox News Digital at the time. Afterward, she spoke candidly about her triumph against the illness at a Fox News town hall in October 2022. She had previously appeared in husband’s campaign advertisements, speaking about how he cared for the family at the time.
“When I was diagnosed with cancer, and I was facing the battle for my life, he was the dad who took care of my children. When I couldn’t. He was there to pick me off of the ground when I literally could not stand,” she said.
DeSantis said at the time that “when I did [the ad], I asked everyone kindly to leave the room, because I wanted to look into the camera and I wanted to tell people exactly who Ron DeSantis is.” DeSantis is still cancer-free today.
“Because when I went through one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through in my life, I had a guy who was with me every step of the way to literally pick me up off of the ground. And he wasn’t even just there for me. He was there for my kids,” she added.
As calls grow for Gov. DeSantis to succeed Trump as the leader of the Republican Party by challenging him in the upcoming GOP presidential primary, the former president referenced Casey.
“I don’t know if he is running. I think if he runs, he could hurt himself very badly. I really believe he could hurt himself badly,” Trump said in an interview when asked about DeSantis running for president. “I think he would be making a mistake, I think the base would not like it — I don’t think it would be good for the party.”
“I would tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering — I know more about him than anybody — other than, perhaps, his wife,” Trump added.