Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has a huge decision to make. The Trump family is trying to influence him.
That’s why Ron DeSantis has fired at the Trump family a stark warning.
DeSantis to Decide on Rubio’s Senate Replacement by Early January
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has indicated that he is likely to make a decision on who will fill U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s seat by early January. DeSantis, in a statement issued Monday, noted that the governor’s office has already begun the process of vetting several potential candidates for the role, with more extensive interviews and vetting set to take place in the coming weeks.
This move follows President-elect Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he intends to nominate Rubio for the position of Secretary of State in his incoming administration. Rubio, a three-term Republican senator and a senior member of both the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees, is expected to resign from his Senate seat once Trump’s presidency begins on January 20, creating a vacancy in Florida’s U.S. Senate delegation.
“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,” DeSantis wrote in his statement.
My statement on being nominated for United States Secretary of State by President-elect Donald Trump: pic.twitter.com/r6q3iaZF0G
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) November 13, 2024
In his remarks, the governor emphasized that there has been strong interest from a variety of candidates. “We have already received strong interest from several possible candidates, and we continue to gather names of additional candidates and conduct preliminary vetting,” DeSantis said. He added that more in-depth interviews and vetting would be conducted over the next few weeks, with a decision likely to be reached by early January.
DeSantis’ statement comes amid increasing speculation about who might fill the seat. Several prominent Republican figures, including allies of Donald Trump, have suggested that Lara Trump, the president-elect’s daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, should be appointed to the seat. Senators such as Rick Scott of Florida, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Katie Britt of Alabama, along with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, have all publicly supported Lara Trump as a potential candidate.
Ron DeSantis Not Taking Influence From Trump Family
DeSantis, a two-term governor and former ally of Trump, has had a complicated relationship with the former president, especially during the highly contentious 2024 GOP presidential primaries. However, after the primary season, DeSantis reconciled with Trump, endorsing him for the general election and actively helping raise funds for Trump’s campaign.
In his statement, DeSantis noted the qualities he believes Florida needs in a new senator: “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.”
Although there is mounting pressure for DeSantis to select Lara Trump, the governor’s statement suggests that he will take his time and carefully consider his options. A source close to DeSantis’s political orbit remarked that “the statement speaks for itself,” indicating that the governor is not rushing the decision.
Under Florida law, the governor has the authority to appoint a temporary replacement to fill the Senate vacancy until the next regularly scheduled general election in 2026. Aside from Lara Trump, other names that have been floated as possible contenders for Rubio’s seat include DeSantis’s chief of staff James Uthmeier, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez, Attorney General Ashley Moody, outgoing Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and former state House Speaker Jose Oliva.
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.
We have already received strong interest from several possible…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 18, 2024
The Conservative Column will be keeping our readers updated on any major news about the soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat from Florida.
