MIAMI — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis intends to hold interviews and “extensive vetting” to help him decide who should replace Marco Rubio in the Senate.
The seat will soon open up after President-elect Donald Trump announced he planned to nominate Rubio to be secretary of state, which will necessitate Rubio resigning from his role. DeSantis under Florida law will be tasked with appointing Rubio’s successor, and he said in a post on X Monday morning that he would likely finish the selection process “by the beginning of January.”
The governor also expanded on some of the qualities and policy priorities he would be looking for.
“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,” he wrote.
The person he picks will remain in the role until at least 2026, which is when a special election to finish the final two years of Rubio’s term would be held. There would then be a regularly scheduled election in 2028 for a full term.
Possible contenders close to DeSantis include Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, Attorney General Ashley Moody, former Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva and chief of staff James Uthmeier.
Some members of Trump’s inner circle have been pushing for DeSantis to select Lara Trump, the Republican National Committee co-chair who is also Trump’s daughter-in-law. She said in interviews over the weekend that she hadn’t yet spoken to DeSantis but would be “honored” to be considered.
DeSantis said he’d already seen “strong interest from several possible candidates” and was continuing to gather names and conduct initial vetting for the job.