Florida GOP moves on as DeSantis withholds his endorsement in governor’s race

Gov. Ron DeSantis still won’t say who he wants to replace him.

So his closest allies, and the Florida GOP, are moving on without him.

In early 2025, DeSantis pushed back on President Donald Trump’s pick for Florida governor, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples, saying that Donalds “hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we’ve had here.”

But last week, two key DeSantis allies — Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Attorney General James Uthmeier — endorsed Donalds for governor. Both men were appointed to their posts by DeSantis. Uthmeier was previously the governor’s chief of staff and was entrusted to run DeSantis’ presidential campaign when his poll numbers were tanking.

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who has backed DeSantis at some key moments but also clashed with the governor, also endorsed Donalds last week. So did the incoming House speaker and Senate president. (They notably did so after DeSantis signed the budget.)

As governor, DeSantis is the de facto leader of the Florida GOP, wielding immense political power in a state he once won by around 19 points. But instead of playing kingmaker, the lame-duck governor has refused to get behind a candidate to succeed him.

Instead, he’s called former House Speaker Paul Renner’s run for governor “ill-advised.” He’s held back his stamp of approval for Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, whom DeSantis appointed as his No. 2, and stayed mum on the candidacy of investor James Fishback.

It wouldn’t be the first time DeSantis has withheld an endorsement from a Republican candidate.

This March, Republican Josie Tomkow lost in a Tampa special election to Democrat Brian Nathan. DeSantis never endorsed Tomkow, nor did he tell people to go out and vote. When she lost, he didn’t seem to mind.

“That’s just kind of the way the cookie crumbles,” DeSantis said in March.

“The reality is when I get behind a candidate, I’m telling voters that this is somebody that shares my values and that shares our goals for the state of Florida,” he said. “You have a candidate who does not do that, I am not going to be supporting them, and that’s what happened in that race.”

Last month, he also said he wouldn’t campaign for the property tax amendment the Legislature passed during a special session he called. The Legislature’s proposal was similar to what DeSantis wanted, but it protected property taxes that go toward schools from being cut.

DeSantis also took shots at the Republican Party of Florida’s decision to set a high bar for candidates to qualify for a GOP gubernatorial primary debate — criteria that would only allow Donalds on the stage at the party’s annual summit. DeSantis said the party should be doing “what’s in the best interest of Republican voters” and not having an “agenda.”

DeSantis is fighting alone. Last month, his ally Uthmeier declined to criticize the state party’s decision to limit the debate.

“I’m not sure how they came to those decisions, but I’m gonna stay in my lane,” he said at a news conference in June.

This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Florida GOP moves on as DeSantis withholds his endorsement in governor’s race."