Ron DeSantis says Paul Renner shouldn’t have run for Governor

Gov. Ron DeSantis is making it clear he doesn’t support a former Speaker of the Florida House pursuing his job next year.

“Governor of what? Oh, look, I’m not supporting Paul Renner. You know, I think it was an ill-advised decision to enter the race,” the term-limited Governor said Tuesday at Valrico’s Grace Christian School.

Renner, a military veteran and a former state prosecutor, represented Palm Coast for eight years through 2024 and worked closely with DeSantis when he led the Florida House. DeSantis then appointed Renner to the State University System Board of Governors thereafter.

When we asked Renner about DeSantis’ predisposition to his campaign in a recent interview, Renner stopped far short of saying the Governor backed him and wouldn’t say directly whether he had asked for DeSantis’ endorsement.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people over the last several weeks as I’ve kind of come to a decision-making process and I’ll keep those conversations (private), but what I know is that the Governor wants what’s best for the state and I’m confident, you know, that we’ll have his support if I’m the nominee,” Renner said.

Calling DeSantis the “greatest Governor” in Florida history and one who has been “extremely consequential for our state,” he added that he would not “get in the middle of this endorsement versus that endorsement.”

What’s clear is that one key endorsement isn’t happening.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds early on, closing the Trump lane at least in the Primary.

Of course, the Governor has been less than complimentary about Donalds, saying the Naples Republican “hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we’ve had here over the left over these last years.”

The comments came after DeSantis announced a “MAHA” Florida committee helmed by the two most likely people to get his endorsement should one or the other run: First Lady Casey DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins. 

We’ve reached out to Renner’s campaign for a response to DeSantis’ dismissal of his announcement, but the response was not immediate.

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