DeSantis picks Florida AG Ashley Moody to replace Rubio in the Senate

Gov. Ron DeSantis has selected state Attorney General Ashley Moody to become the next senator from Florida.

The elevation of Moody into the role, once Sen. Marco Rubio resigns to be President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of State, installs a close DeSantis ally — someone who was the first and only state Cabinet-level official to endorse the governor in the 2024 Republican presidential primary over Trump.

The seat will open up soon, with Rubio on a glide path to become Trump’s secretary of State shortly after he is inaugurated. Moody will hold the seat through at least a 2026 special election.

“Governor: I want you to know I will not let you down,” she said at a news conference in Orlando. “I will not let the citizens of Florida down and I will not let my country down.”

Moody said she was “proud” to call DeSantis a friend. She joked that DeSantis, who used to serve in the House, told her that he didn’t understand why anyone would ever want to work in Congress.

“You’re probably right. I probably won’t like it,” she said to laughs from the audience in the room. “But I’m ready to show and fight up for this nation and fight for President Trump to deliver the America First agenda on day one.”

DeSantis said repeatedly during his selection process that he wanted to pick someone who had a strong record on fighting illegal immigration to help Trump deliver on a key election promise to carry out mass deportations if elected. On Thursday, he praised Moody for her record on supporting “the values we all share,” including on illegal immigration, the opioid crisis and human trafficking, and she pledged to be an ally to the incoming president.

“She's also rejected DEI, ESG, gender ideology, and supported our efforts to ensure Florida's education is free from impositions of the radical left,” DeSantis said. “When Covid was raging, few were willing to stand up across this country. We, in Florida, established our state as a beachhead of liberty as the Free State of Florida, and she was with us every step of the way.”

Moody signed onto a pledge along with other state attorneys general to support Trump’s agenda and frequently defends him on Fox News. She also filed state charges last month against his alleged would-be assassin who camped out at his Palm Beach golf course last September.

Moody had emerged as a favorite to fill the seat, POLITICO previously reported, beating out other would-be hopefuls that included several members of Congress and at one point Lara Trump, the former co-chair of the Republican National Committee and the president-elect’s daughter-in-law. The incoming president had publicly praised Lara Trump, but she removed herself from consideration for the role in late December.

Moody has been a fierce advocate for DeSantis and his agenda, while also repeatedly tangling with the Biden administration in court, including on illegal immigration, Covid-19 policies, transgender rights and student loan forgiveness. She’s a former prosecutor and circuit judge in Hillsborough County who got elected state attorney general in 2018.

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is Trump’s pick for attorney general, was among the first to endorse Moody at the time. Moody is also close friends with Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), who also previously served in DeSantis’ administration. Moody will hold the seat for about two years until the special election, and the winner of that contest will finish out the final two years of Rubio’s term before facing a regularly scheduled election in 2028. Should Moody choose to run, she would have a significant advantage as the incumbent, but she isn’t likely to have a clear path in the Republican primary.

Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), who was also under consideration for the spot and spoke recently to DeSantis, has already said “you can probably guarantee” he will run in 2026 regardless of who the governor picked. And notably, Trump was uncharacteristically quiet during this selection process — even at one point publicly deferring to DeSantis, his one-time rival — raising the possibility he could get involved in the contest during the midterms.

DeSantis’ selection of Moody also gives him another opportunity to make a high profile pick to shape his legacy in Florida. He already gets to pick the state’s chief financial officer — with Jimmy Patronis, the current CFO, set to resign because he is running in a special election for an open House seat. And he’ll now get to pick Moody’s replacement as well — and he indicated Thursday that James Uthmeier, his chief of staff, will take that spot.