TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2014 Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, a close ally of President Donald Trump, is still considering a run for governor of Florida \u2014 a twist that complicates a Republican primary that already has a Trump-endorsed candidate and, potentially, the current governor’s wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump h<\/a>a<\/a>s ba<\/a>cked<\/a> Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., for the 2026 race, and a Trump adviser said the endorsement of Donalds \u2014 and only Donalds \u2014 \u201cis set\u201d no matter what happens. But with Gaetz and Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 wife, Casey, in the wings, the field remains unsettled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump won Florida by 13 percentage points last year, and while he is considered a kingmaker in the state, his support for Donalds has not cleared the field. There is a belief that the GOP primary field is not yet set, according to 10 longtime national and state-level Republican operatives interviewed by NBC News, including those directly involved in the race. Many of them requested anonymity to speak candidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The thought process that is settling in is that Gaetz sees an opportunity if both Donalds and Casey DeSantis run. A three-way primary in what is now a Republican-leaning state can open up the opportunity for a dark horse candidate to win the GOP nomination with just roughly 30% of the vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMatt is always thinking \u2014 I could see him seeing a potential multi-way race presenting him an opportunity to re-emerge for a run,\u201d a veteran Florida Republican operative said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gaetz, whom Trump initially nominated to be his attorney general \u2014 only to see the nomination fall through because of concerns about past sexual misconduct allegations<\/a> \u2014 is doing nothing to downplay increasing chatter he is again seriously considering a run for governor. Gaetz, who is a news anchor for the conservative TV network OAN, has repeatedly denied the allegations of sexual misconduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI host a television show on One American News,\u201d he told NBC News on Monday. \u201cCasey is right about one thing: It\u2019s very early. Many tectonic plates can shift in Florida in the next year or so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Casey DeSantis told reporters this month that she understands why “it’s a big conversation, but I will also say it’s more than a year away from qualifying.”Gaetz had been widely believed to be considering running for state attorney general, but that changed over the past few weeks as he started posting publicly about his support for a potential Casey DeSantis campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gaetz\u2019s praise was notable; he had frequently gone after Casey DeSantis, including on his OAN show, around the Hope Florida scandal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMatt is using the patented tried and true Gaetz backhanded compliment,\u201d a longtime Republican Florida operative involved in the race said. \u201cHe believes a three-way race would benefit him, and he is thinking \u2018Why not me?\u2019 on a double [Trump] endorsement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Republicans in the Legislature had been investigating whether DeSantis\u2019 administration illegally used $10 million tied to a federal Medicaid settlement<\/a> to help defeat a 2024 ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. One of the groups the money flowed through along the way was Hope Florida, organization tied to the first lady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Legislature has dropped its probe, but the Tampa Bay Times\/Miami Herald reported Tuesday that the effort is now being investigated<\/a> by Leon County prosecutor Jack Campbell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Tuesday, Ron DeSantis defended Hope Florida, which aims to offer grants to help low-income state residents become more financially self-sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI believe in this program deeply, and I stand by it 100%<\/a>,\u201d DeSantis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donalds is considered the front-runner in large part because of the Trump endorsement but also because he has already raised more than $14 million \u2014 including a significant amount from Trump\u2019s national fundraising network. Major national donors to Donalds include Jeff Yass ($5 million), Richard Uihlein ($1 million) and Thomas Peterffy ($1 million).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Casey DeSantis, meanwhile, was once seen as almost certain to run to replace her husband, who is term-limited, but the scandal centered on Hope Florida dampened that enthusiasm over the past few weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last week, however, she and her husband held public events<\/a> to hype and defend Hope Florida, a signal to many that she is working to wrest back the narrative about the social welfare group \u2014 and is still considering running for governor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Republican operative familiar with Casey DeSantis’ thinking said the news conference she and the governor held about Hope Florida this week “was intended to be a new trial balloon over a potential candidacy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt seems that there is no one else the governor can find, so he\u2019s back to pushing his wife,” the operative said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taryn Fenske, a DeSantis world political operative, declined to comment for this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, Fenske is among the only consultants working for the DeSantis political machine, which itself is raising questions about that operation. A series of longtime operatives who have worked for Ron DeSantis, including on his failed 2024 presidential bid, are not considering working for Casey DeSantis if she runs. Florida pollster Ryan Tyson, who was a mainstay on Ron DeSantis\u2019 presidential campaign, and his top 2024 fundraiser, Makenzi Mahler, <\/strong>are among those who intend to sit out a bid by his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe first thing you need is a general consultant and a fundraiser,\u201d said a national Republican operative not yet aligned in the race. \u201cShe has none. That has to be the starting point, and I don\u2019t know how they get past that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n