Poll: Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis most favored among potential GOP candidates

The 2026 primary for governor is a year-and-a-half away, but for now Florida's First Lady is first in favorability, according to the latest poll from the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL).

Of respondents who are registered Republicans, 57% said they had a favorable opinion of Casey DeSantis. Overall, 30% were favorable, 22% said unfavorable, and 33% had never heard of her, the numbers show.

"Casey DeSantis was the top early pick for potential Republican primary candidates when we asked back in late 2023, albeit with only 22% support," PORL faculty director and professor of political science Dr. Michael Binder said in a statement.

"She likely enjoys some favorability by association as Florida's first lady," Binder added, "but most of these potentialcandidates suffer from a lack of recognition, some suffering more than others. That said, I expect we'll see a few of them become household names by the time the August 2026 primary rolls around."

For instance, Casey DeSantis had the best rating of those speculated to be considering a 2026 run for governor. Among registered Republicans, U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody had 35% favorability, former U.S. Rep Matt Gaetz had 33%, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds had 27% and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson was at 7%, the poll shows.

Overall, however, 79% said they had "never heard" of Simpson, 66% didn't know who Donalds is and 54% didn't know Moody.

NBC News reported earlier this month that Casey DeSantis was "seriously considering" a 2026 run, though her husband later threw cold water on the idea of a bid, telling Fox News' Laura Ingraham that it's "not something that she's seeking out ... but it's flattering."

Meantime, President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account info from a poll by Victory Insights showing Donalds had 31% support, "far ahead of all other contenders in a hypothetical primary for Florida Governor," the pollster said on the X platform . The next closest person in that poll was former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez at 4%.

More from the Naples Daily News: President Trump shares poll showing Byron Donalds cleaning up in run for FL governor

Trump also called Donalds by name during his inaugural event at Washington, D.C.'s Capital One Arena, saying, "Stand up, Byron. What a future this one has."

Gov. Ron DeSantis had 48% favorable and 43% unfavorable ratings, and Trump received 47% favorable and 45% unfavorable. Only 3% said they had never heard of DeSantis, compared to 1% for Trump.

Some other takeaways from the UNF poll, which consisted of 871 active registered Florida voters and was conducted Feb. 5–14, include a question about the Gulf of Mexico/Gulf of America.

"With regard to renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, a majority of respondents were not in support of the renaming, with 58% saying they oppose either strongly or somewhat," the poll summary said. "Thirty-one percent expressed support for renaming the Gulf. Opposition was similarly high across all regions: North, Central, and South Florida."

The poll also found "majority support for recreational marijuana across party lines, being greatest among registered Democrats (83%) and independents (66%)." A November ballot initiative to allow adult use of pot fell short of the required 60% needed for passage, getting 56% statewide.

"Support for recreational marijuana, and medical before that, has always been high in Florida, which is why its failure to pass last year as Amendment 3 came as a surprise to some folks. When we asked likely voters about it last October, 66% said they'd vote 'yes'," Binder said in a statement.

"If the opposition campaign hadn't sunk tens of millions of dollars into the race, the measure would have passed with flying colors."

This story contains previously published material. Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at  jrosica@tallahassee.com . Follow him on X:  @JimRosicaFL .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Ron DeSantis' wife Casey DeSantis leads in Florida governor poll