Jacob Ogles
U.S. Rep. Cory Mills intends to run for U.S. Senate in 2026 — even if he is not named to the post by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The New Smyrna Beach Republican told the press on Saturday he doesn’t know when DeSantis will appoint a successor to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State. Mills said he would certainly enjoy the chance to serve.
But regardless of who DeSantis chooses, Mills has his eye on Rubio’s seat the next time it is on the ballot.
“You can probably guarantee my hat is going to be thrown in the ring for 2026,” Mills said.
Rubio appears on track for confirmation by the U.S. Senate. DeSantis will appoint a replacement for the next two years of Rubio’s term. However, an election must be held in 2026 to serve out the remainder of the term, which will again appear on the ballot in 2028.
DeSantis has publicly offered few signals about who he may choose besides ruling himself out as a candidate. The Governor said he intends to have an appointment ready when Trump’s new term begins on Jan. 20.
Mills said he has not spoken to DeSantis about the Senate seat but is interested in the job.
“My whole purpose is being (as) effective as possible,” he said. “If you can’t do that in the house, obviously, knowing what the majority looks like, then I think that you have to go somewhere where you can actually deliver on the promises that you made.”
It is unlikely DeSantis will choose a Florida member of the U.S. House to fill the seat in this Congress.
Republicans retained a House majority, but a slim one, with 219 Republicans currently seated in the House compared to 215. That’s before Republican U.S. Reps. Michael Waltz and Elise Stefanik leave for positions in Trump’s administration.
But DeSantis almost certainly will appoint a Republican to the seat.
