Ron DeSantis Names Trump Loyalist to Replace Marco Rubio in Senate

Ron DeSantis named Florida’s attorney general, a Donald Trump loyalist, to fill the Senate seat set to be vacated by Marco Rubio.

Ashley Moody, who has served as Florida’s chief law enforcement officer since 2019, emerged as one of Trump’s most vocal surrogates during the 2020 presidential race. After Trump lost, she used her office to support his efforts to overturn the election.

The Florida governor made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday—a day after Rubio, who is Trump’s pick for secretary of state, received cross-aisle support at his confirmation hearing.

During the presser, Moody, 49, who has won two statewide elections by large margins, eagerly vowed her commitment to pushing Trump’s agenda as Senator.

“I’m ready to show up and fight for this nation, and fight for President Trump, to deliver the America-first agenda on day one,” she said. She listed limiting illegal immigration, cutting government spending, and cracking down on crime as among her priorities.

During her time as attorney general, Moody was a staunch ally of DeSantis. She led several different battles with Joe Biden’s administration. This included a lawsuit against the Justice Department, which Moody said was blocking Florida’s investigation into the second assassination attempt on Trump.

“In every major battle we have had since I have been governor, she has been with us every step of the way,” DeSantis said on Thursday. “It’s not just talk, it’s results. And these results are very, very important. And she understands the gravity of the moment. We may not have an opportunity like this in the near future.”

The decision is good news for House Speaker Mike Johnson.

GOP sources previously told the Daily Beast that DeSantis met with Florida Reps. Kat Cammack and Cory Mills. Had he tapped one of them, it would have brought the already razor-thin Republican majority in the House to a single-vote margin.

With Moody as the pick, Johnson will face an easier time pushing through Trump’s policy agenda right away.

Selecting Moody also clears the path for DeSantis to name his chief of staff, James Uthmeier, as Florida’s attorney general—a move that the governor said he would make once the position was officially vacant.

“On the attorney general, my chief of staff, James Uthmeier, is kind of like Ashley—he’s proven himself in these fights, and I think he’s got big shoes to fill, but I think he’ll do a good job doing that,” he said.

A source had told Axios that Uthmeier is the “obvious pick” to replace Moody, while two GOP sources had previously told the Daily Beast that he was interested in the role.

Moody, who DeSantis said would likely officially assume the role on Jan. 20, would have to win a special election in 2026 in order to finish out the final two years of Rubio’s term in the Senate.

She will face challengers, however. Mills has already announced his intention to run in 2026, and Cammack is also considering a run, according to NBC News.