Rubio is expected to be confirmed as Trump's Secretary of State, leaving Florida down a senator
WATCH LIVE: DeSantis holds presser on Senate replacement for Rubio
Governor DeSantis makes announcement on replacing outgoing Senator Rubio after Trump picked the lawmaker for Secretary of State.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., revealed on Thursday who he plans to appoint to the Senate once Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., resigns, as he is expected to be confirmed to be President-elect Donald Trump's Secretary of State after his inauguration.
The governor selected Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to be the next senator.
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Florida AG Ashley Moody and Gov. Ron DeSantis at public event. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Moody has been a key ally of DeSantis in the state and worked in tandem with him to facilitate his agenda as governor.
When asked about potentially taking on the role on "Fox and Friends First" in November, Moody said, "I have my hands full here as attorney general, and I'm incredibly focused on this job, working on behalf of Floridians, making sure I'm protecting the autonomy of the state and pushing Washington out of our business and holding them accountable. Of course, I love … being in leadership, working with President Trump, working with Governor DeSantis. And I hope to continue working on behalf of Floridians."
Initially, Trump and Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., endorsed Trump's daughter-in-law and former RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump to succeed Rubio. However, she later withdrew her name from consideration.
Lara Trump was RNC co-chair during the 2024 election. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
"After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate," she wrote on X.
Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.
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