DeSantis enters the 2028 chat in a big way after midterms blowout

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is turning out to be the big winner of the Republicans poor showing in the midterm elections last week. According to The Wall Street Journal, some longtime Republican donors are souring on JD Vance as the heir apparent to Trump in 2028. Some, according to the report, are even looking outside the Trump administration and Ron DeSantis is the name many are suddenly interested in -- bigly. 

Vance has even reportedly been receiving advice from close allies to sit out the 2028 race. DeSantis, the day after the results of the electoral blowout was in, issued a sobering assessment of the outcome, saying the beating Republicans took at the polls was akin to "an extinction-level event" for the party. DeSantis said the Iran war and too much corruption were a drag on Republicans in this election cycle. He also blasted the Republican-controlled Senate for being ineffective during the first two years of Trump's second term.

It's not just donors who are suddenly interested in DeSantis again. The outgoing Florida governor's odds on Kalshi spiked on election night as the results were coming in and he's now third overall running neck and neck with Secretary Marco Rubio for the candidate most likely to become the Republican presidential nominee in 2028. Vance's odds plunged in the wake of the midterms, but he is still holding on to first in the Kalshi market. 

Results of Friday's Rubin Recap poll.

Readers of Dave Rubin's free newsletter, The Rubin Recap, however, put Vance in a distant third in a poll included in Friday's edition of the newsletter. Rubio took first place in the poll, with more than 54% of the vote, and DeSantis came in second place with 38%. Vance was barely able to manage 7% of the vote among readers of The Rubin Recap.  

According to The Washington Post, DeSantis is already laying the groundwork for a 2028 White House run, having already reportedly talked with at least one political consultant. His super PAC has also begun fundraising for 2028, the Post reported.

In a post on X Sunday, DeSantis elaborated on last week's criticisms of the status quo in Washington, D.C, taking aim at claims made by Calley Means on Joe Rogan's podcast that former White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was ethically compromised. 

"Bending policy to protect entrenched interests at the expense of the American people’s health is morally wrong," DeSantis said. "Utilizing the levers of power to enrich lobbyists and engage in pay-to-play is ethically abhorrent. Engaging in these practices as a way to leverage special interests for campaign cash is also counterproductive."