Casey DeSantis, wife of Ron DeSantis and mother of his children, plays a key role as a political advisor to her husband’s campaign for the Republican nomination. The 42-year-old former journalist is always close to the Florida governor at important events and is a natural in front of microphones and constituents.
After Hurricane Ian hit last year, Casey raised funds for the victims and visited the disaster site to show empathy, something her detractors say her husband lacks. The governor’s personality, beyond his ultra-conservative policies, is quite enigmatic.
In a video released for her husband’s 2022 re-election campaign, Casey answers the question of who Ron DeSantis is and portrays him as a loving father to her three children and a pillar of support for her during her battle with breast cancer, which has been in remission for more than a year.
This image of a committed husband is important to the Republican, and in a small Iowa town where DeSantis held a rally, residents appreciated his side as a good family man and respectful of Christian principles. His private life shows he has good values, and that gives him an edge over Trump, according to some residents.
During a question-and-answer event, Casey was as successful as her husband. While Ron DeSantis preferred to talk numbers and laws, Casey lightened the seriousness with light-hearted comments about her daily life and her role as a mother.
However, Casey DeSantis’ role is not limited to being an empathetic wife. In addition to her elegant presence, which compares her to former first ladies like Jackie Kennedy or Melania Trump, her political clout brings her closer to Hillary Clinton. She is considered her husband’s closest and smartest advisor, and she has even received the nickname “co-governor” due to her involvement in every decision.
Casey advises her husband on communications thanks to her experience as a local media anchor, a job she left when Ron DeSantis’ political career took off. Born in Ohio in 1980, Casey is a horseback riding enthusiast with a degree in economics. He also worked as a golf journalist.
The devoutly Christian couple met while golfing and married in 2009 at Disney World amusement park in Florida. However, Ron DeSantis is now in dispute with Disney because of a law he pushed for that the entertainment giant considers homophobic.
The road to the White House is long and difficult, with rivals like Donald Trump. But if Ron DeSantis achieves his goal, many observers believe he will owe part of his success to Casey. The governor himself acknowledges in his latest book that meeting his wife was the luckiest moment of his life.