DeSantis to Appoint Attorney General Ashley Moody to U.S. Senate

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that he will appoint Attorney General Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate, filling the seat soon to be vacated by Sen. Marco Rubio.

Moody, 49, will take over the remaining two years of Rubio's term after he leaves the upper chamber to become the next Secretary of State.

"I'm proud to announce that I'm selecting our Attorney General Ashley Moody to serve as our next U.S. Senator," said DeSantis at his Orlando press conference Thursday morning, stressing Moody's pro-conservatism, tough-on-immigration stance, and record of "delivering."

Moody, a lifelong Republican and strong DeSantis ally, thanked the Florida Governor.

"Governor, I want you to know I will not let you down, I will not let the citizens of Florida down, and I will not let my country down," Moody said, promising to keep the same "persistence" and "tenacity" in the U.S. Senate that she exemplified as Attorney General for the past six years.

Moody's appointment will happen after Donald Trump is inaugurated Jan. 20 and Rubio officially resigns his seat, creating a vacancy in the Attorney General role DeSantis must fill by appointment.

This leaves the Florida Governor with two appointments: one for Chief Financial Officer, and one for Attorney General. Likely candidates for CFO include the Trump-endorsed Sen. Joe Gruters and the DeSantis-allied Sen. Blaise Ingoglia.

Contenders for state Attorney General likely include the Governor's Chief of Staff, James Uthmeier, and Lieutenant Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, both of whom were rumored to be possible replacements for Rubio.

Politico first reported on Jan. 8 that Moody was the likely top contender for the Senate seat, surpassing Uthmeier, Nuñez, and even Lara Trump, the future President's daughter-in-law. Other potential picks included state Sen. Jay Collins and DeSantis himself, though the Governor quickly shut down that rumor last week.

Moody, a staunch DeSantis supporter, has also aligned herself with Trump. Most recently, she filed state charges against Ryan Routh, the alleged attempted assassin of the former and future president, and has been a tough critic of illegal immigration—issues close to both Trump and DeSantis.

Her soon-to-be Senate seat will be up for election in 2026.