Governor Ron DeSantis Picks Senator Marco Rubio’s Replacement

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has appointed state Attorney General Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy left by Sen. Marco Rubio.

Senator Marco Rubio resigned from the Senate shortly after President Trump appointed him secretary of state.

In a statement, DeSantis said, “Today, I am proud to announce that I am selecting our attorney general, Ashley Moody, to serve as our next U.S. senator.”

He added, “These are always significant appointments, but I think right now appointments like these are more significant than ever.”

🚨BREAKING🚨 Governor Ron DeSantis appoints ASHLEY MOODY, Attorney General of Florida, to be the next US Senator from Florida. pic.twitter.com/930DAXD2rc

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 16, 2025

Check out what CBS reported:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will replace Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, in the Senate.

“Today I am proud to announce that I am selecting our attorney general, Ashley Moody, to serve as our next U.S. senator,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Orlando, saying she’s “honorably served our people” during her time as the state’s top law enforcement officer.

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“These are always significant appointments, but I think right now appointments like these are more significant than ever,” DeSantis said. “This is a time for action and a time for Washington, D.C., to deliver results for the American people.”

DeSantis called Trump’s victory in the 2024 election “remarkable,” saying he earned a “mandate for change.”

“No more business as usual in Washington, D.C.,” DeSantis added.

🔥Newly appointed Florida Senator Ashley Moody:

"DeSantis was most excited I was a trained accountant, so I can shrink the bloat of the federal government."
pic.twitter.com/QGrbDpjduu

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 16, 2025

Here’s what NBC News reported:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed state Attorney General Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate, setting her up to fill the seat of Sen. Marco Rubio, whom President-elect Donald Trump tapped to be secretary of state.

Rubio was selected to serve in Trump’s administration shortly after Trump won the 2024 presidential race, handing DeSantis a Senate appointment that is likely to have ripple effects across Florida government and politics.

It has widely been expected in recent weeks that Moody would be the pick, while others, including Reps. Kat Cammack and Cory Mills, did talk to DeSantis about the position. DeSantis had said publicly he had reservations about appointing a member of the House because of the GOP’s slim majority in that chamber.

State Sen. Jay Collins, who served as a Green Beret, also got considerable support from conservatives who wanted DeSantis to pick an military veteran.

But ultimately, the seat will go to Moody, 49, who easily won her first election in 2018 to become attorney general and her re-election bid in 2022. She was unable to run again due to term limits.

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She will have to run in a 2026 special election to keep the seat for the final two years of Rubio’s term. Mills has already said he is running for Senate in 2026, as first reported by Politico, and Cammack is mulling a run, meaning Moody is going to face Republican primary challengers.