Ron DeSantis Previews Plans to Replace Marco Rubio: Next Senator Must ‘Be Strong on Immigration’

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) previewed plans on Monday to replace Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), whom President-elect Donald Trump nominated to serve as secretary of state, emphasizing that Florida’s next senator must “strong on immigration” and border security.

“Senator Marco Rubio is expected to resign from the Senate to assume duties as Secretary of State when the Trump administration takes power on January 20th, creating a vacancy roughly two months from today,” DeSantis began, informing Floridians that his team has already received what he described as “strong interest from several possible candidates.”

“And we continue to gather names of additional candidates and conduct preliminary vetting. More extensive vetting and candidate interviews will be conducted over the next few weeks, with a selection likely made by the beginning of January,” he continued, listing must-have qualities for the next senator in the Sunshine State.

“Florida deserves a Senator who will help President Trump deliver on his election mandate, be strong on immigration and border security, take on the entrenched bureaucracy and administrative state, reverse the nation’s fiscal decline, be animated by conservative principles, and has a proven record of results,” DeSantis added.

This announcement comes as some big names call on DeSantis to choose Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair and Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as Rubio’s replacement.

“If this is something I am asked to do, I would seriously consider it, but I have yet to hear from Gov. DeSantis. So we’ll see what happens,” Lara Trump said during an appearance with Fox Business’s Maria Bartiromo last week.

Trump formally tapped Rubio — who has served in the Senate since 2011 — to serve as his secretary of state last week, describing him as a “Highly Respected Leader, and a very powerful Voice for Freedom.” Rubio, if confirmed, would be the first Latino secretary of state.

“He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said in a statement.

Rubio, in turn, said he was “honored by the trust President Trump has placed in [him].”

“As Secretary of State, I will work every day to carry out his foreign policy agenda. Under the leadership of President Trump we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else,” Rubio said.

“I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate so the President has his national security and foreign policy team in place when he takes office on January 20,” he added.

Last week, DeSantis congratulated other Florida politicians tapped by Trump, including former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Rep. Mike Walz (R-FL), noting that he has “instructed Secretary of State Cord Byrd to formulate and announce a schedule for the upcoming special elections immediately.”