Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday offered the public details about the process of appointing an individual to fill Sen. Marco Rubio’s Senate seat when he begins his duties as Secretary of State in the second Trump administration.
“Senator Marco Rubio is expected to resign from the Senate to assume duties as Secretary of State when the Trump administration takes power on January 20th, creating a vacancy roughly two months from today,” the Republican governor wrote on X.
“We have already received strong interest from several possible candidates, and we continue to gather names of additional candidates and conduct preliminary vetting,” DeSantis continued.
Possible contenders close to DeSantis include Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, Attorney General Ashley Moody, former Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva and chief of staff James Uthmeier.
Some members of Trump’s inner circle have been pushing for DeSantis to select Lara Trump, the Republican National Committee co-chair who is also Trump’s daughter-in-law. She said in interviews over the weekend that she hadn’t yet spoken to DeSantis but would be “honored” to be considered. (Politico)
“More extensive vetting and candidate interviews will be conducted over the next few weeks, with a selection likely made by the beginning of January,” he said.
“Florida deserves a Senator who will help President Trump deliver on his election mandate, be strong on immigration and border security, take on the entrenched bureaucracy and administrative state, reverse the nation’s fiscal decline, be animated by conservative principles, and has a proven record of results," DeSantis added.
Senator Marco Rubio is expected to resign from the Senate to assume duties as Secretary of State when the Trump administration takes power on January 20th, creating a vacancy roughly two months from today.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 18, 2024
We have already received strong interest from several possible…