DeSantis aims to appoint Marco Rubio’s Senate replacement by early January

By KATE PAYNE The Associated Press

FILE - Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event on May 31, 2023, in Salix, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Charlie Neibergall]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Floridians will likely know who their next U.S. senator will be by the beginning of January, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Monday.

With Florida’s senior Sen. Marco Rubio tapped to be President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state, it’s up to the governor to appoint his replacement, should Rubio be confirmed by his colleagues in the Senate.

Under the U.S. Constitution and state law, the governor has the power to fill vacancies in the U.S. Senate, while voters decide who should fill vacancies in the U.S. House.

DeSantis is gathering names and conducting “preliminary vetting” after receiving “strong interest” from several potential picks, he posted on social media Monday. In the coming weeks, the governor plans to do more extensive vetting and candidate interviews.

“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 posted on X.

FILE - Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fl.,speaks during a campaign rally with Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, file)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Lynne Sladky

Some Republicans in the state are pressuring DeSantis to appoint Lara Trump, including Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who voiced his support for the president-elect’s daughter-in-law on social media. Lara Trump is a co-chair of the Republican National Committee and lives in Palm Beach County with her husband Eric Trump.

“If I am tapped to serve in another capacity, it truly would be my honor,” Lara Trump said in a Fox News appearance over the weekend. “I have not been asked yet, but I certainly would strongly consider it if it is presented to me.”

Some Republican politicos say appointing a member of the president-elect’s family to the Senate is a way for DeSantis to curry favor with his onetime rival for the GOP’s presidential nomination, and score a win with Trump’s dedicated supporters as the governor considers his own political future. The pick could also give Florida another direct line to the Trump White House.

Other names being floated include Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.

Should Rubio be confirmed, his replacement would serve for two years until the next regularly scheduled election in 2026, at which point the seat would be up for election again.

___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.