DeSantis picks Florida attorney general to replace Marco Rubio in Senate

Source: Washington Post

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said he would appoint Ashley Moody, his state’s attorney general, to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate, elevating a close ally.

Moody, 49, was elected to the state attorney general’s office in 2018, the same year DeSantis won the governor’s mansion, and has been a vocal defender of DeSantis’s policies and actions. President-elect Donald Trump is nominating Rubio for secretary of state, creating an opening for DeSantis to fill until an election in 2026.

Moody was considered the favorite to replace Rubio. Trump and his allies had advocated for Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who co-chaired the Republican National Committee this past election cycle — putting DeSantis in an awkward position. But DeSantis continued to signal interest in other candidates, and Trump said publicly last month that he did not expect DeSantis to pick her. Lara Trump said Dec. 21 that she was removing her name from consideration.

Moody previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Florida and became the youngest judge in Florida when she won election to the Circuit Court in Hillsborough County. She is a fifth-generation Floridian whose father and late grandfather also served as judges.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/16/desantis-ashley-moody-senate-rubio/