Gov. DeSantis names Ashley Moody to succeed Marco Rubio in the Senate

Gov. Ron DeSantis has named Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody as Florida’s next U.S. Senator.

She will succeed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of State. Rubio first won election in 2010 and appears on a smooth path to confirmation as soon as next week. Moody enters the national stage as a known quantity to Florida voters who twice elected her to statewide office.

Moody promised to support a conservative shift in Congress.

“I pledge to you as United States Senator supporting the REINS Act, supporting any effort to rein back in our out-of-control federal agencies, make sure politics have pushed out of it, make sure we bring down spending. I am all for that, and I got the backs of the American people, DOGE and President Trump.”

The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act passed in the House last year but not the Senate. U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, a Gainesville Republican, reintroduced the measure again this Congress, while U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, sponsored a Senate version. The legislation would require congressional approval for major federal agency rules and rules with an impact of $100 million or more before taking effect.

At an Orlando press conference announcing the Senate pick, DeSantis said he vetted contenders for months to replace Rubio when the seat opens, and had promised to name a replacement that can hit the ground running when Trump’s second term begins Monday.

The Governor said he thought long about the decision and trusted Moody’s record of getting things done in the state.

“This is a once in a decade, maybe even once in a generation, opportunity,” DeSantis said. “This current Congress is ultimately going to determine whether we do usher in that revival of the American experiment, or is it just going to be status quo, passing the buck and nothing ever changes.”

Other contenders he said were considered included U.S. Reps. Cammack and Cory Mills, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd and state Sen. Jay Collins, a Tampa Republican.

But DeSantis said Moody’s record of accomplishment ultimately put her over the top. He specifically cited a number of successful court efforts defending Florida legislation signed by DeSantis.

“We have won those lawsuits as a result,” he said.

Florida policies defended by Moody’s Office in court include efforts to remove diversity, equity and inclusion programs from state universities and barring gender-reassignment medical care for minors.

DeSantis also praised Moody for challenging a number of President Joe Biden’s actions at the federal level.

“We beat the Biden administration that had continued to keep our cruise lines closed, and we liberated the cruise industry because of her lawsuit,” DeSantis said. “We also beat Biden on the employer vaccine mRNA mandate, which was going to have people lose their jobs if they didn’t take this shot that many people didn’t want. So her efforts were really critical in achieving those successes.”

Moody said she has been excited to work alongside DeSantis, who won election as Governor the same year she was elected as Attorney General, in 2006.  She plans to bring the same agenda to Washington, she said.

“If we scale back, make sure we return this to a limited government, we will prosper,” she said. “Look at what Florida has done.”

She said support from her family made her political successes possible.

“I will bring the influence of many things in my life, my experiences, certainly. But I am driven by my faith in God, first and foremost,” Moody said.

“I am driven by the fact that I am a mother and I still have a kid in school. And whether it was protecting children from social media, from the dangers of fentanyl, the poison of being pushed into our nation as a result of a wide-open border, whether it’s protecting our soldiers — the oldest boy in our family is a soldier. So whether it is supporting them while they are abroad or after they come home, I have their backs.”

Moody will take office after Rubio vacates the seat, which must await his confirmation as Secretary of State. That could happen as soon as Monday, the same day as Trump’s inauguration to a second term. DeSantis, who plans to attend the inauguration, said he hopes to see Moody sworn into the Senate on the same day.

Moody’s move to Washington also means her Cabinet post will be open as well. But DeSantis left no room for speculation on that seat, and told press he will appoint his Chief of Staff, James Uthmeier, as Florida’s next Attorney General.