DeSantis sets timetable to name Rubio's Senate successor amid calls for Trump to fill seat

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says he may decide who will fill the US Senate seat of Sen. Marco Rubio in early January, insisting that the governor's office has already begun looking at several potential candidates.

President-elect Donald Trump formally announced last week that he will nominate Rubio, a three-term senator from Florida and the top Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees, to serve as secretary of state in his incoming administration.

“Senator Marco Rubio is expected to resign from the Senate to become Secretary of State when the Trump administration takes office on January 20, creating a vacancy approximately two months from today,” DeSantis wrote in a statement Monday morning.

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The governor highlighted that “we have already received strong interest in a few potential candidates, and we continue to collect the names of other candidates and conduct preliminary evaluations. Detailed tests and interviews of candidates will be conducted in the next few weeks, and the election may be chosen. in early January.”

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The Florida governor's statement comes as some Trump allies have suggested that Lara Trump, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee and the president-elect's daughter-in-law, be nominated by DeSantis to fill Rubio's next seat. two years.

Among those who have raised Lara Trump in the past few days is another GOP member from Florida of the US Senate – Sen. Rick Scott – Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Katie Britt of Alabama, and Rep. Anna Paulina Lune from US Florida.

Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, speaks to the media following a Trump rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, on February 21, 2024. (Brandon Gillespie/Fox News)

DeSantis, a former Trump ally who clashed with the former president last year and earlier this year during the 2024 GOP presidential race, has somewhat mended relations with the former president after the first season, as he sided with Trump and helped raise the stakes. money for the Republican candidate's national election campaign.

“Florida deserves a senator who will help President Trump carry out his electoral mandate, be tough on immigration and border security, take a strong position with the administration, reverse the state's fiscal deficit, be motivated by ethics, and have a proven track record of results,” DeSantis said in his statement.

Amidst calls for Lara Trump to be named to fill Rubio's seat, DeSantis' statement could be seen as a sign that he won't be in a rush to make any quick decisions.

Former President Donald Trump, left, greets Florida Sen. Marco Rubio during a campaign rally at the JS Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Nov. 4, 2024. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly / AFP)

A source in DeSantis' political circle simply said “the statement speaks for itself.”

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The governor, according to Florida law, has the power to temporarily appoint someone to fill a vacant Senate seat until the next scheduled general election, which will be held in 2026.

Other names floating around to replace Rubio include DeSantis' chief of staff James Uthmeier, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez and state Attorney General Ashley Moody, outgoing Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and former state House Speaker Jose Oliva.