DeSantis appoints Florida's top lawyer to US Senate
The state's attorney general, Ashley Moody, will replace Sen. Marco Rubio in the Senate


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."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by Trump
Speed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank plan
Speed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'