Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces Ashley Moody will replace Marco Rubio in Senate

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that state Attorney General Ashley Moody will be taking Marco Rubio’s spot as the Sunshine State’s junior senator.

DeSantis announced his pick at a news conference in Orlando days before Rubio is set to resign to become President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state.

The governor said that he wanted to choose a replacement who will back Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda and “cut spending.”

DeSantis added Wednesday that he didn’t make the announcement sooner because he didn’t want the media to make his choice a “pinata” and attack them for months before Rubio is sworn in.

Moody will have to go through a special election in November of 2026 to complete the remainder of Rubio’s term. If she chooses, she will then be up for election to a full six-year term in 2028.

DeSantis met with Trump several times in recent weeks, going golfing with him and meeting with him at a governor’s dinner at Mar-a-Lago.

The two have been repairing rifts in their relationship following the 2024 GOP primaries, and have been warm with each other in recent months.

Trump daughter-in-law and former Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump had been widely tipped as the favorite for the position after Rubio was nominated as America’s top diplomat. 

However, the Trump daughter withdrew her name from consideration for the seat last month.