Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) picked Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to replace Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who has been tapped to be President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state.
Rubio will resign his seat upon his confirmation as secretary of state, which appears almost certain to occur in the coming weeks. DeSantis announced the appointment of Moody to fill the looming vacancy at a news conference in Orlando on Thursday.
“I’m happy to say we’ve had an attorney general who has been somebody that has acted time and time again to support the values that we all share. Whether that’s illegal immigration, opioid and fentanyl crisis, human trafficking, she has stood strong time and time again,” DeSantis said. “Most recently in this past year, filing lawsuits and joining lawsuits to take on the weaponization of law enforcement that targeted then-candidate Donald Trump.”
She was first elected attorney general of the Sunshine State in 2018, succeeding Trump’s pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi. Moody handily won reelection in 2022 and has been an ally to DeSantis and Trump in her role as the state’s top prosecutor.
In discussing her record, DeSantis highlighted how she has worked alongside him during his six years as governor as he has signed major legislation into law and Moody’s office has defended the state.
“In every major battle we have had since I have been governor, she has been with us every step of the way. It’s not just talk. It’s results, and these results are very, very important. And she understands the gravity of the moment,” DeSantis said.
“We may not have an opportunity like this in the near future. This is a once-in-a-decade, maybe even once-in-a-generation, opportunity in this current Congress that is ultimately going to determine whether we do usher in that revival of the American experiment, or is it just going to be status quo, passing the buck and nothing ever changes,” he added.
Moody remarked on her six years as attorney general, serving alongside the governor, saying she was “proud” of her record and “honored” to be nominated to the Senate.
“I will bring the same persistence and passion and tenacity as a United States senator that I have brought as Florida’s attorney general. If you have worked with me and fought with me over the last six years, you know I don’t think of this as a job. I think of it as a calling,” Moody said.
“Every day I go to work, every decision that I make, every person I hire, I do so with the understanding that the people of Florida gave me this opportunity, and I want to deliver on what I assured them,” she added.
She concluded her remarks with a message to Trump and her future Senate GOP colleagues, saying, “America first, let’s get it done.”
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Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) welcomed Moody’s appointment, saying in a post on X that she “has done an incredible job fighting for Floridians and keeping our communities safe as Attorney General” and that he has “no doubt she will do an incredible job as senator.”
DeSantis said he expects Rubio to be quickly confirmed as secretary of state after Trump takes office next week, predicting Moody could be sworn in as Florida’s junior senator as early as Monday afternoon.
