Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) confirmed in a recent Tallahassee press conference that he would not appoint Representative Cory Mills (R-FL) to fill departing Senator Marco Rubio's (R-FL) seat. He said that moving the Florida Congressman from the House of Representatives to the Senate "is just a big practical concern."
Rep. Mills recently discussed his interest in running for Senate in 2026 on Fox News. He had talked to Gov. DeSantis over the phone about various topics, such as border security and Everglades restoration.
However, Gov. DeSantis pointed out that "we [Republicans] lost seats in the U.S. House," likely referring to the resignations of Representatives Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Mike Waltz (R-FL). Both were tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to serve in his Cabinet, although Gaetz withdrew his nomination for Attorney General.
As a result, the Governor continued, "On January 20th, you are going to have 217 [Republicans] to 215 [Democrats], and so when you talk about Cory, the issue would be, 'are you really going to go from 217 to 216? That is a tough, tough thing."
After all, DeSantis suggested that Trump has "a mandate" to fulfill by winning the November election, and DeSantis does not want "to be sand in the gears."
"If you put someone in [the Senate] and then it reduces the numbers in the House, it may make it harder for them to enact an agenda," said the Governor, adding that "it is just a big practical concern."
Nevertheless, he also emphasized that "it is not anything that any of these guys really have any control over. It is not their fault, but that is just the reality that we are dealing with."
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is currently considered the top contender to fill Rubio's vacant seat in the Senate. If confirmed, Moody will serve two years in the position until 2026, when the midterm elections are held. Whoever wins that election will serve another two years until 2028, when Rubio's original six-year term as Senator ends.
