Narrator: This is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
He was a baseball player long before
he became one of the most famous governors in America.
And he still uses his sports career
as a talking point today.
DeSantis: Look, I could hit a fastball.
I faced people that pitched in the big leagues.
Narrator: There's growing speculation
he could run for president.
Experts say he's deployed a perfect combination
of secret weapons that have managed to attract
supporters from all over the country.
You know, people will sometimes refer to me
as America's governor.
It seems that Gov. DeSantis can sneeze
and make headlines.
Narrator: We combed through hours of footage
from his early years to figure out how he got here
and what it could mean for the Republican Party.
The governor's wife, Casey DeSantis,
is considered one of his most important allies.
Kimberly: One of my sources went so far
as to call her the co-governor of Florida.
I've been told by multiple sources
that he listens to her more than he listens
to anyone else.
Narrator: Insider recently broke the news
that DeSantis and Casey got married at Disney World
back in 2009.
The couple has shared only select photos
from their wedding day, and the background
does seem to match Disney's Wedding Pavilion,
one of the most desired venues overlooking
Cinderella's Castle.
You can even see the three stairs in the background here.
Kimberly: It was surprising, because Florida Gov.
Ron DeSantis went to battle against Disney.
Narrator: In early 2022, DeSantis signed a bill
his critics have called "Don't Say Gay,"
which prohibits teaching about gender and sexuality
in kindergarten through third-grade classes.
Disney's CEO condemned the governor's new law,
saying it was harmful to children.
DeSantis ended up stripping Disney
of its special status that had allowed the corporation
to pay lower taxes for more than five decades.
This state is governed by the interest of the people
of the state of Florida.
It is not based on the demands
of California corporate executives.
Kimberly: But he never mentioned at the time
that he had also gotten married at Disney.
Narrator: But back to his wife, Casey.
Hello everyone, and welcome to First Coast Living.
I'm Casey DeSantis.
She's been called her husband's secret weapon.
The governor's secret weapon.
Casey really is the secret weapon.
Narrator: She worked as an anchor and reporter
for a Jacksonville TV station and even won an Emmy.
Narrator: And experts say she's the mastermind
behind DeSantis' carefully crafted image.
Casey: He was a good guy who loved baseball
and grew up and played and worked hard in school.
He's a tremendous husband and a wonderful father.
Narrator: She interviews a lot of the employees
who end up working for him.
Kimberly: Having this kind of insular relationship
is probably beneficial to them in terms of
avoiding a lot of the gossipy leaks
that you might see with other politicians.
Narrator: And she often appears in his campaign videos.
When I was diagnosed with cancer
and I was facing the battle for my life,
he was the dad who took care of my children
when I couldn't.
Narrator: And experts say the fact that DeSantis
has young kids has helped his image.
Kimberly: It gives voters something that says, you know,
here's an executive who's fighting, because he's fighting
for the future of your children.
It would be very similar to what we saw
from the Obama family and what we saw from
the Kennedy family.
Narrator: But long before the couple met,
Ronald Dion DeSantis grew up in the small,
conservative community of Dunedin, near Tampa.
DeSantis: I was a blue-collar kid,
so I had to work my way through college.
Narrator: His good grades and baseball skills
got him into Yale,
where he became the captain of the Bulldogs.
And he eventually made his way to Harvard,
the school which claims the most US presidents as alumni.
DeSantis is still paying for the law degree he got there.
Kimberly: He still isn't very wealthy today.
He still has about $21,000 worth of student debt.
Narrator: The movie "A Few Good Men"
was one of his inspirations to join the Navy
while he was still a student.
Kimberly: That movie stars Tom Cruise,
who plays a Navy attorney who defends Marines
accused of a deadly assault at the
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.
Narrator: Just like Tom Cruise's character,
DeSantis also worked at Guantanamo Bay,
as a Navy attorney in 2006
after graduating a year earlier.
And he's still drawing inspiration from Tom Cruise
in his new campaign ad.
DeSantis: No. 1, don't fire unless fired upon.
But when they fire, you fire back with overwhelming force.
Narrator: Back in 2007, DeSantis deployed to Iraq
as an adviser to SEAL Team 1.
Kimberly: His job was to ensure that the military
was complying with the law.
Narrator: And he drew on that experience a lot
five years later.
I am not a politician.
I'm an Iraq veteran, a former prosecutor,
Navy Reserve officer, but I've never sought
or held elected office before.
Narrator: In 2012, DeSantis was running
for a Congressional seat in Florida's 6th District,
one of the most conservative at the time.
I'm not a politician.
I want to do things in Washington.
I don't want to be somebody.
Narrator: Many say DeSantis made himself
by copying Trump.
All right, well, Ron is being Don.
Narrator: But we found several instances
of DeSantis over the years
sounding a lot like Trump ...
Trump: We have to save America.
Narrator: ... long before the former president's
political rise.
DeSantis: We need to save our country.
That was a little bit of the media
trying to create stories.
I don't care what offense it is.
You touch a child, you're here illegally, you're gone.
Narrator: DeSantis talked about shaking up
the Republican Party since 2013.
DeSantis: We're viewed, Republicans, as the party of the rich.
I don't think there's any reason
why we should do that.
We shouldn't want banks or big corporations
getting special deals.
Narrator: But while in Congress, experts say
DeSantis wasn't particularly social.
Kimberly: He really wasn't one of those politicians
that would stay out late at night
backslapping, going to happy hours,
and so, to a lot of people, that came across
as being pretty aloof.
Apparently he would also stick his earphones in
to avoid talking to people in the hallways.
Narrator: And when DeSantis ran for Florida governor
in 2018, Trump gave him a massive boost.
My great friend, a tough, brilliant cookie.
And he's going to be your next governor, Ron DeSantis.
Narrator: DeSantis really stepped into
the national spotlight during the pandemic ...
DeSantis: You do not have to wear those masks.
I mean, please take them off.
Narrator: ... when he took a conservative approach
to COVID-19 policies.
Politicians want to force you to cover your face
as a way for them to cover their own asses.
That's just the truth.
TV anchor: He fought vaccine mandates.
He banned mask mandates in schools.
They want to protect kids, Governor.
What do you want?
Narrator: Despite his critics,
he reopened Florida's schools early.
If you're trying to deny kids
a proper in-person education,
I'm going to stand in your way.
Kimberly: One of the things I hear a lot
from even Floridians who are Democrats
is that they do give him credit for keeping schools open.
They think that that was the right call.
Narrator: And DeSantis grew more conservative
and more vocal throughout his term.
The left does not want to honor our freedoms,
and we have a responsibility to fight back on all fronts.
Florida is the state, is the place
where woke goes to die.
Narrator: DeSantis also signed one of the strictest
abortion bans in the country,
leaving no exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
And earlier this year, he formed an election police force
to oversee voting.
Despite the controversies, rumors that he could run grew.
And there was buzz even at Trump rallies.
No. 1 thing I like about DeSantis
is that he believes in freedom for America.
Narrator: The governor has already piqued the interest
of one of the most followed men online.
Elon Musk recently tweeted that he'd likely
support DeSantis if he ran for president.
The DeSantis campaign has raised more money
than any governor in American history.
Do many who are donating to DeSantis
for his reelection bid in Florida
know that they may actually be donating
to DeSantis' 2024 presidential campaign?
Absolutely.
The amount of interest in Ron DeSantis
is off the charts, and I think that, you know,
the momentum trend is clear.
Kimberly: He knows how to grab headlines every single day
in a way that other politicians don't seem to
yet have grasped.
He knows how to go from one week to the next
and change the topic.
That's how you stay relevant, right?
And now an update from the strange parallel universe
of Gov. Ron DeSantis' Florida.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week.
Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Are you glad to live in the free state of Florida?
Of course, the big question is,
will he also be able to navigate a
2024 Republican primary if he choose to run for president?
Narrator: And while the governor hasn't said
whether or not he plans to run,
he dodged the question from his rival during a debate.
Why don't you look in the eyes of the people
of the state of Florida
and say to them, if you're reelected,
you will serve a full four-year term as governor.
Yes or no?
Yes or no, Ron?
Kimberly: I think we'll have to watch and find out.