DeSantis appoints Florida's top lawyer to US Senate

The state's attorney general, Ashley Moody, will replace Sen. Marco Rubio in the Senate

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Attorney General Ashley Moody
DeSantis said he was picking Moody to help get rid of 'pernicious woke ideology'
(Image credit: Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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."

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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.

Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.