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UNF Poll: Casey DeSantis tops 2026 Governor's race
Dr. Michael Binder, Faculty Director, UNF Public Opinion Research Lab joined FOX 35's Garrett Wymer to break down his poll of registered voters, which found housing is the top concern for Florida voters, and Casey DeSantis is the top choice for Florida Governor.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been elected twice to lead the Sunshine State – and will become term limited when his term ends in 2026. However, recent media reports and political pundits speculated whether his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis would be interested in running to succeed him.
To be clear, the governor's wife – a former news reporter – has not publicly stated whether she has intentions of entering politics or running for governor. Gov. DeSantis months ago
An opinion poll conducted by the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) asked people what issues were most important to them, as well as how they felt about political people in Florida.
On the issues: Housing and insurance top issues for Florida
By the numbers:
"What do you think is the most important problem facing Florida today?"
According to the results, the top issues impacting Florida voters:
- Housing costs/property insurance (34%)
- Economy/jobs/inflation (21%)
- Education (9%)
- Immigration (9%)
On the people: Favorable or unfavorable
By the numbers:
Another part of the poll asked people how they felt about political people or companies, including President Donald Trump, Gov. DeSantis, First Lady Casey DeSantis, Sen. Ashley Moody, and former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz.
- Donald Trump: 47% favorable, 45% unfavorable
- Ron DeSantis: 48% favorable, 43% unfavorable
- Casey DeSantis: 30% favorable, 22% unfavorable, 33% Never heard of her
- Bryan Donalds: 15% favorable, 9% unfavorable, 66% never heard of him
- Wilton Simpson: 4% favorable, 4% unfavorable, 79% never heard of him
- Matt Gaetz: 18% favorable, 39% unfavorable, 33% never heard of him
Earlier this week, President Trump said Florida Rep. Bryan Donalds "would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida," according to FOX News. He also said he had heard Rep. Donalds was "considering" a potential run.
Rep. Donalds then teased on X: "announcement coming soon."
How was the poll conducted?
What we know:
The poll was conducted between Feb. 5-14, 2025 by the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida. Live pollsters called landline phones or cell phones of active registered voters in Florida. Polls were conducted in both English and Spanish.
A total of 871 people responded to the survey. The response rate was 3.5%. The margin of error is 3.7%.
According to the data, respondents were located in all 10 of Florida's major markets, though Miami-Dade County was kept solo, making a total of 11 markets.
- 40% were registered Republicans.
- 31% were registered Democrats
- 29% were registered Independent/other
- 54% female, 46% male
- Ages: 31% 65+, 17% 55-64, 15% 35-44, 14% 45-54, 14% 25-34, 9% 18-24.
Gov. DeSantis and Casey DeSantis wave to the crowd of supporters inside the Tampa Convention Center following his victory speech.
Who is Casey DeSantis?
The backstory:
Casey DeSantis is the current First Lady of Florida.
As the First Lady, she has become a champion for fighting cancer in Florida, helping to secure $100 million in recurring funding for cancer research and care in the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Budget, according to the official website of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
She has launched four major initiatives since Ron DeSantis was elected: Hope Florida – A Pathway to Prosperity, Economic Self-Sufficiency and Hope; Resiliency Florida initiative; Character Education Standards; and "The Facts. Your Future." campaign.
She attended the College of Charleston in South Carolina, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Economics and was a member of the International Economics Honors Society. There, she competed on the equestrian team and placed runner-up at the Division I NCAA National Championships.
Additionally, she is a three-time national champion equestrian outside of school.
Following her graduation from college, Casey DeSantis worked for the PGA Tour as a producer and on-air host. Additionally, she worked for two Florida television stations in Jacksonville, where she held positions ranging from general assignment reporter, police beat reporter, weekend anchor and morning anchor.
For her work in television, Casey DeSantis received an Emmy Award for on-air talent and two Emmy nominations: one for an investigative series called "Real Life CSI" and one for a documentary called "Champion, The JT Townsend Story."
Ron and Casey DeSantis have three children — Madison, Mason and Mamie.
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Editor's note: This article has been updated since it was previously written to better explain the methodology and results from the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab poll, what it indicates, and what it doesn't indicate. The article was also updated to include President Trump's comments on Rep. Donalds' potential run and Donalds' social media post about an upcoming "announcement."
The Source: The information in this article was written based on the results of the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab poll, which was conducted between Feb.5-14; reporting by FOX News; and speculation from news reports and political experts. FOX 35 fact-checked by checking Gov. DeSantis' and First Lady DeSantis' official social media platforms, official bios, and candidate listings on the Florida Department of State website.