On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis revealed that the process of identifying a replacement for Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is currently underway. This follows Rubio’s selection as President-elect Donald Trump‘s nominee for secretary of state, and DeSantis aims to appoint a successor by early next year.
In a message posted on X, DeSantis noted that Rubio is “expected” to step down from his Senate position when Trump commences his second term on January 20, which will leave a vacancy in two months. The governor provided information on the search for Rubio’s successor, who will hold the Senate seat until 2026, when a special election will take place for the remaining two years of the term.
“We have already received strong interest from several possible candidates, and we continue to gather names of additional candidates and conduct preliminary vetting,” DeSantis stated. “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 emphasized that “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.”
Last week, President-elect Trump confirmed that he would nominate Rubio, a former rival in the 2016 presidential race who eventually endorsed Trump, for the secretary of state role. Typically, such nominations require Senate confirmation, but Trump has suggested utilizing recess appointments to fill his Cabinet positions.
“Leading the U.S. Department of State is a tremendous responsibility and I am honored by the trust President Trump has placed in me,” Rubio shared in a post to X. “As Secretary of State, I will work every day to carry out his foreign policy agenda. Under the leadership of President Trump we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else. I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate so the President has his national security and foreign policy team in place when he takes office on January 20.”
Other Florida politicians who have been selected for positions in Trump’s administration include former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as attorney general and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) as national security adviser.
