What happened
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Thursday that his state’s attorney general, Ashley Moody, will replace Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in the Senate after he is confirmed as secretary of state.
Who said what
Moody, 49, is a close DeSantis ally and has been “instrumental” in defending his “conservative agenda” in court and on Fox News, The Associated Press said. Donald Trump’s supporters wanted his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to replace Rubio, “putting DeSantis in an awkward position,” The Washington Post said, but as the governor “continued to signal interest in other candidates,” she bowed out last month.
DeSantis said he was picking Moody to cut federal spending and help “rid our institutions, federal agencies, universities, corporations of the pernicious woke ideology.” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said the Senate seat was Moody’s “reward” for being “Ron’s personal lapdog.” Moody praised DeSantis’ leadership but ended her acceptance speech with Trump’s catchphrase: “America first, let’s get it done.”
What next?
Rubio is the only Trump Cabinet pick “being widely discussed as a Day One possibility” for confirmation, Politico said, though “all 100 senators will have to agree to accelerate any final confirmation vote to Monday.” If Moody wants to serve out Rubio’s full term, until 2028, she will have to defend the seat in a 2026 special election.