Photo:Lynne Sladky/AP
Lynne Sladky/AP
MeetRon DeSantis' wife and kids.
The Florida governor — whoofficially announced his 2024 presidential bidon May 24 — is married to Casey DeSantis, his wife of 13 years. Together, they share three kids: Madison, Mason and Mamie.
In 2009, Ron and Casey tied the knot at Walt Disney World, a location that the politician called “ironic” when he and his wife appeared onSiriusXM’s Patriotin Februaryamid his public battlewith the company.
Since Ron was officially named governor in January 2019, Casey has served as Florida’s first lady, supporting her husband’s initiatives while launching several of her own.
Even their children have been involved in their father’s political endeavors, appearing in Ron’sTrump-inspired campaignas a then-GOP gubernatorial hopeful. The DeSantis kids have also stepped out alongside their parents at public events, though their personal lives are kept fairly private.
Most recently, Casey showed her support for her husband with a video posted onTwitterthat hinted at Ron’s anticipated Republicanpresidential primary campaign announcement. “America is worth the fight… Every. Single. Time,” the first lady of Florida captioned thesocial media postfeaturing Ron walking toward an American flag.
The following day,the Florida governor filed paperwork to runwith the Federal Election Commission, confirming longtime rumors that he has been priming himself to earn the Republican Party’s nomination.
Here’s everything to know about DeSantis' family, including his wife and their three kids.
Casey met Ron DeSantis on a golf course
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Casey DeSantis is an Ohio native born on June 26, 1980. While she was raised in her home state, she later moved to South Carolina to pursue an education at the University of Charleston where she graduated with a degree in economics.
Upon graduation, she nabbed a job in television and moved to Florida early in her career. She worked as a television host, in which the Golf Channel was among one of her first gigs. She hosted programs such asOn The TeeandPGA Tour Today.
Golf was what first brought Casey and Ron together — a meet-up that occurred when she relocated to Jacksonville to work in television news as a local newscaster, anchor and producer.
“We met at the University of North Florida at the driving range off Kernan,” Casey toldFirst Coast News. “I kept looking over my shoulder because I wanted the bucket of balls that somebody had left because my swing was so terrible. I needed as much practice as I could possibly get.”
She continued, “As I’m looking over behind me, Ron is over there. He thinks I’m looking at him. I was really looking at the balls. Long story short we started to talk and that’s how we met.”
Ron and Casey wed in 2009 at Walt Disney World, a location that the politician said was “ironic” amid hisongoing public battlewith the company. “In looking forward to what we ended up doing as Governor and some of the face-offs that we had with some major institutions in Florida, it’s kind of ironic,” Ron said during an interview onSiriusXM’s Patriot.
Casey became the first lady of Florida in 2019
Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service/Getty
Since her husband was elected into office, Casey has launched four major initiatives. Among them includeHope Florida – A Pathway to Prosperity, Economic Self-Sufficiency and Hope, launched in September 2019, and theResiliency Florida initiative, launched in February 2021.
Casey is an award-winning journalist
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In addition to working for the Golf Channel and local news stations in Florida — where she held several positions, including assignment reporter and police reporter — Casey also moderatedThe Chat, a round-table talk show that aired on Jacksonville networks.
Military stories were among the topics she covered heavily, including the deployments on the USS John F. Kennedy (the last conventionally-powered aircraft carrier) and the USS Florida (a cruise missile submarine). According to her officialfirst lady website bio, she was awarded an Emmy for her work.
Casey is a breast cancer survivor
In October 2021, Ron announced that Caseyhad been diagnosed with breast cancer. In March 2022,she and her husband announcedthat she was in remission.
Casey has used her platform as first lady of Florida to help the cause in the state. According to herofficial bio, she “secured $100 million in recurring funding for cancer research and care in the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Budget.”
In addition, Caseytravels the stateto speak with patients and their families with the intent of bringing awareness to the importance of early screening.
In May 2023, the Florida Legislature renamed the Florida Consortium of National Institute Centers Program the “Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program" to honor Casey for her work devoted to the cause.
Casey shares three kids with Ron DeSantis
While details on their personal lives have been kept private, all three of the DeSantis children have stepped out in support of their dad on numerous occasions through the years. They’re often spotted alongside their mom and dad on stage at public events and on their parents' respective Instagrams.
Casey and Ron DeSantis' kids have been featured in his political campaigns
A then-GOP gubernatorial hopeful, Ron featured his two eldest kids inone of his campaign adsin July 2018. The adappeared to suggest his support of Trump’s agenda, in which he used his kids to further convey his message.
“You have to look at it in perspective,“said Casey amid his political season that year. “There were millions of dollars in negative attack ads against Ron, special interests. That was kind of where we were and we said well how do we respond? We responded with humor. We had fun I think a lot of people liked it and they got the joke,” she explained.
source: people.com
