TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The uneasy truce between President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis loyalists in Florida politics is showing new cracks — this time over who will shape the state’s Cabinet in 2026.
A person familiar with a recent meeting in DC confirmed White House officials have encouraged House Speaker Danny Perez (R-Miami) and Rep. Kevin Steele (R-Hudson) to consider running for statewide posts: Perez for attorney general and Steele for chief financial officer. The story was first reported by Florida Politics.
Both positions are currently held by DeSantis appointees — Attorney General James Uthmeier and CFO Blaise Ingoglia — raising the prospect of bruising Republican primaries if the lawmakers take the plunge.
Neither Perez nor Steele has said publicly whether they’ll run. When asked in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said he hadn’t discussed running for Florida AG with Speaker Perez, but praised his record.
“I didn’t. We didn’t talk about that but he’s done a fantastic job,” Trump said. “He’s respected all over the country really. He’s a leader, and he’s done a just a fantastic job. We didn’t discuss anything having to do with his future. I’m sure he’d be very good at that.”
Perez–DeSantis Friction
The push comes as Perez and DeSantis have already clashed in Tallahassee. A protracted budget stalemate had lawmakers staring down the possibility of the first government shutdown in state history, earlier this year.
Perez had blasted Senate President Ben Albritton for blowing up a tax-cut framework and rejected DeSantis’ rebate plan for homesteaders as little more than “checks from the state treasury.” DeSantis, for his part, had dismissed the House leader as driven by “personal agendas” and “vendettas.”
In a rare move, House Republicans even invited the governor to present his tax-cut ideas before a select committee — a request DeSantis brushed aside. His spokesperson, Bryan Griffin, derided the committee as designed to “kill” property-tax relief.
The standoff followed a battle on immigration reform that preceded the 2025 legislative session. It set a combative tone for the year. Both conflicts underscore Perez’s willingness to buck the governor and raise questions about how far the Trump camp might go in backing him should he challenge a DeSantis pick for AG.
High Stakes in 2026
Florida’s Cabinet posts may not grab headlines like the governorship, but they wield significant power over financial regulation, law enforcement, and the state’s sprawling bureaucracy. DeSantis has filled two of them by appointment in recent months, cementing allies Uthmeier and Ingoglia in place. Trump-aligned challengers could shake that up.
The maneuvering adds another front to the growing proxy war between Trump and DeSantis forces. With DeSantis term-limited and the 2026 GOP primaries expected to be crowded — from governor on down — the party could be headed for open conflict rather than unity.
Democrats, meanwhile, are watching with some satisfaction. Chair Nikki Fried said recently her party was becoming more unified as Republicans fought amongst themselves.
“Democrats really are united on what needs to happen and what type of messaging we need to move forward on, and that's the overall unaffordability of our state,” she said. “And time and time again, the Republicans keep going to Tallahassee and leaving without dealing with those major issues that are plaguing the people of our state.”
For now, the speculation around Perez and Steele highlights a bigger question: whether Trump will try to assert his dominance over Florida politics by reshaping the Cabinet — even if it means going head-to-head with DeSantis and his appointees.
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