Washington Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced this on Thursday Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will replace marco rubioPresident-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of State in the Senate.
“Today I am proud to announce that I am selecting our Attorney General, Ashley Moody, to serve as our next U.S. Senator,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Orlando. He said he had “honorably served our people” during his tenure in the state. Top law enforcement officials.
“These are always important appointments, but I think right now appointments like this are more important than ever,” DeSantis said. “It is time for action and time for Washington, DC to deliver results for the American people.”
DeSantis described Trump's victory in the 2024 election as “remarkable”, saying he had earned a “mandate for change”.
“It is no longer business as usual in Washington, D.C.,” DeSantis said.
Florida's governor emphasized border security as part of that mandate and said Florida will work with the Trump administration to ensure immigration laws are enforced.
DeSantis outlined his criteria for the Senate appointment on Thursday, saying he wanted someone who would deliver on Trump's agenda, be committed to cutting spending, understand that the federal bureaucracy “has become disorganized Is” and “fight against illegal immigration”.
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Moody, 49, has served as Florida's attorney general since 2019. DeSantis praised Moody's “impressive resume” as a commercial litigator and federal prosecutor, noting that she became Florida's youngest circuit court judge in 2007. The Florida governor said Moody is someone who “has worked time and again to support the values we all share,” from addressing the opioid and fentanyl crisis to illegal immigration and human trafficking. .
DeSantis also pointed to Moody's track record of supporting the president-elect, noting that he signed lawsuits to “stop the weaponization of law enforcement targeting then-candidate Donald Trump,” according to special counsel Jack Smith. Took and fought against New. York Attorney General Letitia James. He also said Moody led the state investigation into a second assassination attempt against Trump in Palm Beach, Florida.
Moody, speaking after DeSantis on Thursday, said she would “bring to United States Senator the same tenacity and passion and tenacity that I have brought to Florida's Attorney General.”
Moody promised to rein in “out-of-control federal agencies” and cut spending, saying, “I'm ready to show up and fight for this nation and deliver an America First agenda for President Trump on day one.” Ready to fight for.”
Senate vacancies in Florida are filled by appointment of the Governor, who selects a replacement to serve until the next statewide election. DeSantis' appointment means Moody will be expected to hold the seat until a special election in 2026. The winner of the 2026 election will serve out the remainder of Rubio's term, meaning the person would have to run for re-election in 2028.
The announcement comes after months of speculation over who might fill the seat. Several possibilities have emerged for DeSantis' appointment, including Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who until recently was co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Last month, he Said She was distancing herself from the thought.
DeSantis' chief of staff James Uthmeyer and Florida Lieutenant Governor Janet Nunez were also appointed, as well as former Florida House Speaker Jose Olivia. DeSantis said Thursday that he also thinks highly of Representatives Kat Cammack and Cory Mills, whom he said were also in the mix, but he didn't want to jeopardize the narrow House Republican majority. He said Uthmeyer would become the new attorney general of Florida.
Trump chose Rubio, who has represented Florida in the Senate since 2011, to a Cabinet post in November. The 53-year-old China hawk has extensive foreign policy experience and is expected to have the easiest path to confirmation in the Senate. He appeared at his confirmation hearing this week, and is expected to resign from the Senate when Trump is sworn in next week.