Who could DeSantis pick to replace Rubio in Senate? GOP floats several options, including a Trump

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis must appoint a replacement for outgoing Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who was tapped by President-elect Trump to serve as secretary of state in his new administration. 

The Republican governor, who once ran against Trump in the 2024 election, is reportedly mulling several options. Among contenders being floated by party members, according to The Associated Press, is the president-elect’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who serves as co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Lara Trump previously considered running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, where she grew up, but made way for her father-in-law to ultimately back Sen. Tedd Budd’s successful 2022 bid for the upper chamber. 

Other names being mentioned by Republicans include Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, DeSantis’s chief of staff James Uthmeier, and former state House Speaker Jose Oliva. 

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is among those who voiced his support for Lara Trump on social media. 

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“We need more Republicans in Washington who actually represent the Republican Party back home and will be steadfast in their commitment to fulfill the mandate from this election – to Make America Great Again. @LaraLeaTrump is that person,” Scott, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate majority leader last week, wrote on X. 

Lara Trump lives in Palm Beach County with her husband, Eric Trump.

Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Katie Britt of Alabama, as well as Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, have also voiced support for Lara Trump as Rubio’s replacement in recent days. 

“If I am tapped to serve in another capacity, it truly would be my honor,” Lara Trump told Fox News 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, according to The Associated Press. The pick could also give Florida another direct line to the Trump White House.

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DeSantis, a one-time Trump ally who clashed with the former president last year and early this year during a very contentious 2024 GOP presidential nomination race, mended relations a bit with the former president after the primary season. He endorsed Trump and helped raise money for the Republican nominee’s general election campaign.

DeSantis said on Monday that he was vetting several prospects and would likely make a decision on Rubio’s replacement by early January. 

“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 on X on Monday. “We have already received strong interest from several possible candidates, and we continue to gather names of additional candidates and conduct preliminary vetting.”

“More extensive vetting and candidate interviews will be conducted over the next few weeks, with a selection likely made by the beginning of January,” he wrote. “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.” 

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and the Associated Press contributed to this report.