DeSantis has made his choice…
According to a Fox News report, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has been selected by Governor Ron DeSantis to replace Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate. Rubio is expected to be confirmed as Secretary of State in President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
Moody has been instrumental in carrying out DeSantis’ agenda in the Sunshine State.
While accepting the appointment, Moody acknowledged her hesitance to join Congress, saying she prefers to be where she can “get things done.”
“And then I thought, if every person with the same energy, the same love and respect for our founding principles — the ideals on which this country was built on — if every person like that with that personality said, ‘I don’t think I’d like serving in Congress,’ then we’d never change that culture,” Moody said.
She added: “I probably won’t like it, but I’m ready to show up and fight for this nation and fight for President Trump to deliver the American First agenda on day one.”
Watch DeSantis’ announcement and Moody’s remarks below:
Governor Ron DeSantis Makes an Announcement in Orlando https://t.co/7dNbFdoiau
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 16, 2025
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.”
From NBC News:
It has widely been expected in recent weeks that Moody would be the pick, while others, including Reps. Kat Cammack and Cory Mills, did talk to DeSantis about the position. DeSantis had said publicly he had reservations about appointing a member of the House because of the GOP’s slim majority in that chamber.
State Sen. Jay Collins, who served as a Green Beret, also got considerable support from conservatives who wanted DeSantis to pick an military veteran.
But ultimately, the seat will go to Moody, 49, who easily won her first election in 2018 to become attorney general and her re-election bid in 2022. She was unable to run again due to term limits.
She will have to run in a 2026 special election to keep the seat for the final two years of Rubio’s term. Mills has already said he is running for Senate in 2026, as first reported by Politico, and Cammack is mulling a run, meaning Moody is going to face Republican primary challengers.
Right now, though, her appointment will set a new record for Republican women in the Senate, according to data from the Center for American Women in Politics. When Moody takes the seat, there will be 10 GOP women in the chamber.
Moody is a close ally of DeSantis, who has served as his chief legal bulldog on a host of high-profile political fights with the Biden administration.
JUST IN: Gov. Ron DeSantis appoints state AG Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate, setting her up to fill the seat of Sen. Marco Rubio. https://t.co/Pic8TWFbSh
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 16, 2025
