Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is fielding candidates to replace Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) when he leaves the Senate to join the Trump administration, with a replacement expected to be named by the beginning of next year.
DeSantis announced on Monday that several candidates have expressed interest in taking Rubio’s seat when he resigns from the Senate on Jan. 20, the day that President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated. The governor’s team will continue its vetting process over the next several weeks, with a selection likely made by early 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 said in a post on X.
Several names have been floated as possible options to replace Rubio, with Republican National Committee Chairwoman Lara Trump being considered an early favorite.
Appointing Lara Trump to the Senate would guarantee that President-elect Trump will have a loyalist in the upper chamber, although it would likely be met with some criticism from Democrats.
Lara Trump herself has expressed interest in the position but told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo on Thursday she has not yet heard from DeSantis.
“If this is something I am asked to do, I would seriously consider it,” Lara Trump said. “So we’ll see what happens.”
Other potential candidates for the Senate seat include Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez, DeSantis chief of staff James Uthmeier, and former Florida House Speaker José Oliva.
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Several GOP lawmakers have already endorsed Lara Trump to replace Rubio, including Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Katie Britt (R-AL), as well as Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) in the House.
Rubio’s expected resignation comes after the president-elect tapped him as the nominee to become the next secretary of state. Rubio must still be confirmed by the Senate before he can assume that position, but the Florida Republican has already received support from both sides of the aisle.