Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Florida GOP attorney general Ashley Moody will fill the Senate seat vacated by Senator Marco Rubio, who is expected to be confirmed in the coming days as President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state.
“This is something that I thought about long and hard. We did a lot of research, we got a number of great candidates throughout the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.
“I wanted somebody with a demonstrated record of delivering results on those important issues. Talk is cheap. We need people that have demonstrated fidelity to these principles with their actions. That is why today I am proud to announce I am selecting our attorney general Ashley Moody to serve as our next U.S. Senator.”
DeSantis’s announcement is expected to set off a chain reaction among Florida Republicans as the governor’s mansion and the attorney general office open up in 2026. DeSantis later said that chief of staff James Uthmeier will be replacing Moody as Florida’s next attorney general once she officially becomes Senator.
Moody was first elected Florida attorney general in 2018 and easily won reelection in 2022, a midterm year that saw overwhelming margins of victory for Florida Republicans. She vigorously fought against the unsuccessful Florida ballot measure in 2024 that would have enshrined a right to abortion. She has also waged numerous legal challenges against the Biden administration on issues such as illegal immigration, gun rights, energy regulations, and student loan debt forgiveness.
“I will not let you down, I will not let the citizens of Florida down, and I will not let my country down,” Moody said, as she praised DeSantis’s stewardship of Florida.
“I will bring the same persistence and passion and tenacity as a United States Senator that I have brought as Florida’s attorney general. If you have worked with me and fought with me over the last six years, you know I don’t think of this as a job, I think of it as a calling.”
Moody described her thought process in deciding to serve in Congress and her excitement about delivering on Trump’s agenda on day one. She voiced frustration at the encroachment of the Biden administration on states like Florida and emphasized the need for a robust Congress to rein in federal agencies.
Initially, Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara was subject to speculation about potentially taking the seat, but she withdrew her name from consideration during Christmastime. The president-elect was largely quiet about who he wanted to fill the seat, and played golf with DeSantis Tuesday as the Rubio decision loomed.
Rubio appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday for a confirmation hearing about his plans to handle the growing number of threats to national security worldwide inherited from the outgoing Biden administration.
The hearing lacked fireworks because of Rubio’s deep qualifications and knowledge of foreign policy stemming from his membership on the Senate intelligence and foreign relations committees. Rubio emphasized the need for the U.S. to combat the Chinese Communist Party while reiterating the U.S.’s support for Israel and the difficulties of negotiating a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) announced Monday he will be supporting Rubio’s confirmation, a sign that Rubio’s colleagues will vote overwhelmingly to make him the next Secretary of State.