LACONIA: As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took his presidential pitch to Iowa and New Hampshire this week, it was his wife’s presence and message that stood out to some Republican voters as a potential asset for his 2024 campaign.
Casey DeSantis, a former TV broadcaster who has been credited by DeSantis and others around him as his closest political adviser, has combined a fierce defense of her husband’s record as governor with anecdotes about the challenges of raising their three children, ages 3, 5 and 6.
Some Republican voters in the early voting states said they viewed her personal story of overcoming breast cancer as uplifting and believed she could help soften the perception of her husband, who has been criticized as stiff and lacking in charisma.
“She is a very strong woman,” said Lisa Teeman, a 62-year-old retired IT professional who attended a DeSantis campaign event in the blue-collar New Hampshire city of Laconia on Thursday. “I think she can gain votes for him.”
Casey DeSantis is emerging as a pivotal figure in her husband’s nascent campaign, and her prominence on the trail could mark a sharp contrast with Republican front-runner Donald Trump.
