Governor DeSantis’s political potency in Florida is under assault after he declared war on his state’s Republican-controlled legislature following its investigation into a $10 million payment to a non-profit group, Hope Florida, run by his wife, Casey DeSantis. The scandal could complicate Mrs. DeSantis’s own political ambitions.

The investigation is likely to weaken both Mr. and Mrs. DeSantis’s political standing just as a nasty Republican primary fight in the upcoming governor’s race comes into focus. The first lady is widely expected to announce her candidacy for Florida governor in the coming months, likely on the basis that she ran the Hope Florida initiative to effectively shrink government and get people off of welfare programs. 

President Trump preemptively weighed into the governor’s race before anyone had even announced a campaign. He said in February that if Congressman Byron Donalds jumped into the race, the president would back him enthusiastically. Five days later, Mr. Donalds officially announced his candidacy. 

After Mr. Donalds declared that he would be running for governor, Mr. Trump’s own pollster, Tony Fabrizio, released results of a survey showing Mr. Donalds and Mrs. DeSantis in a statistical tie in the race for the GOP nomination, with Mr. Donalds at 34 percent and Mrs. DeSantis at 30 percent.

The infighting revolves around a $10 million donation to Hope Florida in October. That gift to Hope Florida was part of a $67 million settlement between the Florida state government and a private healthcare contracting company, the Centene Corporation, which was liable for overpayments to pharmacy benefit managers. The $10 million payment to Mrs. DeSantis’s group was made without any legislative oversight, which state legislators now say could be a violation of Florida law.

More concerning for lawmakers is the fact that around the same time as the donation, Hope Florida gave $10 million to political groups fighting a state ballot question last year that would have legalized recreational marijuana — something the governor and first lady campaigned against. The amendment was later defeated. 

“This is looking more and more like a conspiracy to use Medicaid money to pay for campaign activity,” GOP state representative Alex Andrade told reporters at Tallahassee on Tuesday. He says prosecutors should be “very concerned about that.”

“Give back the money and explain yourselves. I mean, how on Earth you thought this was legal, moral or ethical …” Mr. Andrade said. “Tell us who else was involved.”

According to a spokesman for Mr. DeSantis’s office, the executive director of the Hope Florida project, Erik Dellenback, resigned his position on Wednesday. “Mr. Dellenback is resigning to pursue the opportunity to become the new CEO of Florida Family Voice and will remain involved with Hope Florida in an advisory capacity,” the spokesman said.

Mr. Andrade, who is chairman of a health budget subcommittee, has already threatened to subpoena Mr. DeSantis’s hand-picked state attorney general, James Uthmeier, who once served as the governor’s chief of staff and presidential campaign manager.

The chairman of the Hope Florida project, Joshua Hay, testified before Mr. Andrade’s subcommittee on Tuesday, conceding that “mistakes were made” with respect to the management of the non-profit.

In a post on X, Mr. Andrade tagged Attorney General Bondi — herself a former Florida attorney general — to say he hoped she was “watching” what was unfolding around the Hope Florida donations. “At this point … what we keep turning over and finding out — every time I flip over a rock and find something new — this feels way bigger than a subcommittee,” he said. 

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mr. DeSantis said the debate is being “manufactured” by state legislators of both parties. The governor says lawmakers are upset because the Hope Florida project has tried to create a pathway for people to get off government assistance with the help of charitable organizations and faith groups. He has also implied that it is a smear campaign against his wife, who he says “runs circles around” others. 

“I’m used to the baseless smears from the liberal media. I’m used to the baseless smears from Democrats,” he said. “But I think now we have Republican leadership in the Florida House joining with liberal media and joining with Democrats to launch baseless smears against Hope Florida, and by extension myself and the first lady.”

“None of these Republican leaders got elected on the platform that they were gonna launch baseless attacks against the governor and first lady,” Mr. DeSantis added. “They were elected to continue our Florida First agenda. … Not only are they trying to sabotage that agenda, but they are stabbing the voters in the back with their behavior. Shame on you.”