Ashley Moody sworn into Senate seat following Marco Rubio’s departure

The Attorney General has bestowed more than 50 Back the Blue awards over the past four years.

Republican Ashley Moody has been sworn in as Florida’s junior U.S. Senator. She took office a day after former U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s confirmation as Secretary of State.

Vice President JD Vance administered the oath of office to Moody and new Ohio U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, who fills the seat just vacated by Vance.

Gov. Ron DeSantis last week named Moody, then Florida’s Attorney General, to serve the next two years of Rubio’s term. A Special Election will take place in 2026 concurrent with the Midterms to decide who serves the last two years of Rubio’s term. Moody has already opened a federal account to fundraise for the upcoming election, and can lay claim to being the top vote-getter in Florida both times she appeared on the ballot.

The Attorney General’s Office released a statement as Moody left her Cabinet post to take on duties in Washington.

“Serving as Florida’s Attorney General is a tremendous honor,” she said. “After six years as the state’s Chief Legal Officer, I am grateful for all of the progress we made fighting the opioid crisis, putting human traffickers behind bars, pushing back on Biden’s unlawful immigration policies, modernizing crime reporting nationwide, revolutionizing organized retail theft investigations, recruiting hundreds of new law enforcement officers and so much more.”

When DeSantis appointed Moody, the Governor cited Moody’s proven record fighting for conservative principles. Notably, he picked the longtime Florida political figure instead of following President Donald Trump’s advice in naming daughter-in-law Lara Trump, former Republican National Committee Co-Chair, to the post.

Both DeSantis and Moody first won statewide office in 2018, then were re-elected in 2022.

Over more than six years as the state’s Attorney General, Moody remained closely allied with DeSantis. She has rarely taken a position at odds with the state’s Republican executive, and her office has often defended DeSantis’ policies in the courts. That included controversial actions like DeSantis threatening TV stations that ran ads supporting an abortion rights amendment that ultimately fell short of passage on the statewide ballot this year.

Moody’s Office negotiated a state settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors and recently touted a drop in Florida in opioid-related deaths. Moody also has often taken an aggressive legal stance against Democratic policies during former President Joe Biden’s administration, including suing earlier this year to force the release of information on how many criminals were released after illegally crossing the southern border. A year prior, she successfully argued in court the catch-and-release policy violated federal law.

“I have been honored to fight alongside of our great Governor, Ron DeSantis, in so many important legal battles and innovative initiatives contributing to Florida’s continued prosperity. Florida is lucky to have such a committed governor and dedicated legislative leaders who have helped us craft new laws to fight crime, protect Floridians and ensure we remain the freest, most prosperous state in the nation,” Moody said.

“Of course, we could not have achieved so many of these successes without Florida’s outstanding law enforcement officers. These heroes are the backbone of our state and risk their lives to keep Florida on the right track. I am so thankful for their support over the past six years and their selfless sacrifices as we worked together to build a Stronger, Safer Florida.”

Moody’s Office in 2020 also controversially supported a Texas lawsuit challenging the certification of Biden’s electoral victory over Trump in the Presidential Election that year. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit days later.

DeSantis has already said he intends to appoint James Uthmeier, his current Chief of Staff, to serve the last two years of Moody’s term as Attorney General.

Moody in Washington attended President Donald Trump’s inauguration. She posted photos from Washington on Monday morning after meeting “fellow new kid on the block” Jon Husted, who was appointed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to replace Vice President JD Vance in the Senate.