Is Ron DeSantis running for president in 2028?

Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, is a familiar face in Republican presidential politics. He ran in the 2024 Republican primary, entering in 2023 before withdrawing and endorsing Donald Trump in early 2024. He has since indicated openness to another run in 2028, telling the Milken Institute Global Conference in May 2026 that he is in his mid-40s and sees 'a lot of runway' for a presidential campaign in 2028 or beyond.

He is tracked as a likely 2028 Republican candidate and polls third in early 2028 GOP primary surveys. Across twelve mid-2026 surveys, his support ranges from 5 to 12 percent -- earlier May polls placed him at 9 to 12 percent, while June and July surveys showed 5 to 9 percent as the field sorted around Vance and Trump Jr. His Florida governorship ends in 2027 under state term limits, which would free him to campaign full-time heading into the primary season.

DeSantis is constitutionally eligible. He is a natural-born U.S. citizen, is 47 years old as of mid-2026 - well above the constitutional minimum of 35 - and has been a U.S. resident his entire life. No legal bar prevents a 2028 candidacy.

The 2028 Republican field is led by Vice President JD Vance, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the main alternative. DeSantis is third in most current polling, a meaningful starting position with more than two years remaining before the first primary votes. His record as Florida governor on education, immigration, and other issues would likely anchor his 2028 campaign message.

One structural consideration for a DeSantis presidential run involves the 12th Amendment's same-state rule. DeSantis is a Florida resident, and so is Secretary of State Marco Rubio -- the leading alternative to JD Vance in Republican primary polling. The 12th Amendment bars electors from casting both a presidential vote and a vice-presidential vote for residents of their own state. Florida has 30 electoral votes, all of which would be at risk if a DeSantis-Rubio ticket were chosen and Florida's 30 Republican electors were forced to withhold one of their votes under the same-state constraint. The 2000 election established the precedent: Dick Cheney changed his voter registration from Texas to Wyoming before joining the George W. Bush ticket to avoid exactly this issue. A DeSantis-Rubio pairing would face the same structural pressure -- one of the two would need to change their state of residence before the election.