DeSantis aims to appoint Marco Rubio’s Senate replacement by early January

Changes in Tallahassee & the U.S. Senate

FOX 13's Matthew McClellan has the latest on changes to the Florida Legislature in Tallahassee, along with the timeline from Governor Ron DeSantis to fill Marco Rubio's Senate seat if Rubio is confirmed as Secretary of State.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Floridians will likely know who their next U.S. senator will be by the beginning of January, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Monday.

With Florida’s senior Sen. Marco Rubio tapped to be President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state, it’s up to the governor to appoint his replacement, should Rubio be confirmed by his colleagues in the Senate.

Under the U.S. Constitution and state law, the governor has the power to fill vacancies in the U.S. Senate, while voters decide who should fill vacancies in the U.S. House.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on August 8, 2024. DeSantis awarded Miami-Dade County with an $8 million grant to help with the construction of their new stadium, Miami Freed

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DeSantis is gathering names and conducting "preliminary vetting" after receiving "strong interest" from several potential picks, he posted on social media Monday. In the coming weeks, the governor plans to do more extensive vetting and candidate interviews.

"Florida deserves a Senator who will help President Trump deliver on his election mandate, be strong on immigration and border security, take on the entrenched bureaucracy and administrative state, reverse the nation’s fiscal decline, be animated by conservative principles, and has a proven record of results," DeSantis posted on X.

Some Republicans in the state are pressuring DeSantis to appoint Lara Trump, including Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who voiced his support for the president-elect’s daughter-in-law on social media. Lara Trump is a co-chair of the Republican National Committee and lives in Palm Beach County with her husband Eric Trump.

"If I am tapped to serve in another capacity, it truly would be my honor," Lara Trump said in a Fox News appearance over the weekend. "I have not been asked yet, but I certainly would strongly consider it if it is presented to me."

Some Republican politicos say appointing a member of the president-elect’s family to the Senate is a way for DeSantis to curry favor with his onetime rival for the GOP’s presidential nomination, and score a win with Trump’s dedicated supporters as the governor considers his own political future. The pick could also give Florida another direct line to the Trump White House.

Other names being floated include Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.

Should Rubio be confirmed, his replacement would serve for two years until the next regularly scheduled election in 2026, at which point the seat would be up for election again.

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