Casey DeSantis: Who is the wife of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis?

Florida's first lady Casey DeSantis is expected to play a lead role in her husband's impending campaign for the White House. Is she his secret weapon?

It is not unusual for politicians running for office to get their spouses involved, but during Ron DeSantis' tenure as Florida governor, his wife has manoeuvred into the spotlight.

Mrs DeSantis, 42, has spearheaded the governor's response on issues ranging from hurricane relief to mental health.

But as he now prepares to run for president, some say the extent of her involvement is a problem.

"She is both his biggest asset and his biggest liability," one DeSantis donor and supporter told Politico Magazine.

Others quoted by the outlet said Mrs DeSantis helps "humanise" her husband and "give him a cleaner, softer image", but is "blindly ambitious", "paranoid" and feeds his worst instincts.

Mrs DeSantis, a mother of three, is no stranger to the national stage.

She had been a popular television news reporter and commentator in the Sunshine State for years by the time she met her future husband on a golf course in 2006.

They were married three years later - ironically at Walt Disney World, now locked in a scorched-earth legal battle with the governor.

As Mr DeSantis has climbed up the rungs, launching bid for the US House of Representatives, the US Senate and then the governor's mansion, his wife has been there every step of the way.

She has appeared in his TV ads, accompanied him on foreign trips, introduced him at speaking engagements and is allegedly "looped in on every email and calendar invite" that goes to the governor.

But the extent of Mrs DeSantis' aspirations have come into greater focus over the past year or so.

In March 2022, five months after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she revealed to much fanfare that she was cancer-free.

The ensuing weeks saw the first lady feature prominently on the campaign trail, including via a tearful video tribute to her husband who she said "was there to fight for me when I didn't have the strength to fight for myself".

And after Hurricane Ian ravaged the state weeks before Florida voters passed judgment on Mr DeSantis' re-election bid, she led efforts to raise money for hurricane relief.

The state's disaster fund ultimately raised more than $60m (£48m) to support recovery efforts, including more than $2m in the first 24 hours.

"We just couldn't be more proud of what you have done," Mrs DeSantis said. "Thank you to the people across the state and the country for stepping up big."

Mr DeSantis was easily re-elected in November, winning by the largest margin of any governor in the state in four decades.

At his inauguration event in January, and then again at his state of the state address in March, Mrs DeSantis stood out with the long white satin gloves she wore.

Political observers openly pondered if she was channelling former US first lady Jackie Kennedy. And, if so, did she too want to be the lady of the White House?