Without Lara Trump, these are the top candidates to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate

Lara Trump, who was the leading candidate to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate, recently withdrew her name from the nomination. She took it upon herself to break the news on her X account, opening the door for Governor Ron DeSantis to explore other options to fill the Rubio’s vacancy, who was nominated by Donald Trump as secretary of state.

"After reflection, contemplation and receiving an incredible amount of support, I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration for the US Senate," Lara Trump wrote on the aforementioned social network, also adding that she has "a big announcement" regarding her future, which she will make public in January.

Governor DeSantis already announced that he would make his decision known in the first days of January. After the last election, Republicans will hold a 53-47 majority in the Upper House, given that they managed to defeat Democrats in West Virginia, Ohio, Montana and Pennsylvania.

"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," the governor said.

When a member of the Senate is elected president, vice president, cabinet member or simply resigns, it is up to the governor of the state in question to appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of the term. Subsequently, a mid-term election is set to confirm that appointment.

In Rubio's case, he was re-elected for another term until January 2029. Therefore, once DeSantis selects his replacement, he will complete two years of Rubio's term until 2026, when a special election will be held to determine who will complete the remaining years until 2028.

Jeanette Núñez

The current lieutenant governor of Florida also enters the discussion to fill Rubio's seat. Jeanette Núñez accompanied Gov. DeSantis in his two previous campaigns and was a big help in getting his agenda through the local Legislature.

She is also one of the figures who sounded to run for governor in 2026, given that Governor DeSantis will not be able to run for a third term. Should she choose to run for governor and win, she would be the first Cuban American to hold the office.

After working as an entrepreneur and college professor, she began her political career as a state representative in 2010 and rose through the conservative ranks to become the second highest-ranking member of the House. After eight years in the local Legislature, she was elected lieutenant governor in 2018 and re-elected alongside DeSantis in 2022.

Ashley Moody

"To be clear, Moody is the likely choice, but not the definite choice," they wrote recently in the Floridian Press.

Florida's attorney general is very popular among Florida Republicans. So much so that she is the only elected official in the state to beat the DeSantis margin of victory in her two elections, 2018 and 2022.

In 2006, when she was 31 years old, Ashley Moody became Florida's youngest female judge. She was elected to the Circuit Court of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County.

"As a judge, she founded the Attorney Ad Litem program, which recruits volunteer attorneys to take the place of parents who do not appear in court with their children. She also developed a mentoring program for at-risk children within the juvenile delinquency system," reads her profile as attorney general.

Her 2018 candidacy was endorsed by a prominent slate of state Republicans, including Pam Bondi, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Matt Gaetz. Since then, Moody has been a close ally of Gov. DeSantis, particularly in her anti-abortion and recreational marijuana stances.

Should DeSantis choose Nunez or Moody, he would be electing the second woman in history to represent Florida in the Senate. The first was Paula Hawkins, who served in the upper chamber from 1981 to 1987.

If she remains in a current seat, she is a favorite to run for governor in 2026.

José Oliva

José Oliva served as a local representative between 2011 and 2020, becoming speaker of the House during his last two years. He maintains a great relationship with the governor, due to their work together to advance his legislative agenda in the Sunshine State.

A cigar company owner, he traveled to Iowa to campaign alongside DeSantis while he was still running for president, so he could play the loyalty card to his advantage.

He was even appointed in 2023 to the state university system's board of governors, one of Florida's most coveted positions.

James Uthmeier

Perhaps the least famous of the names in question, this is Ron DeSantis' chief of staff and the former head of his presidential campaign. James Uthmeier is one of the people closest to the Florida governor.

He even served as a senior adviser to Donald Trump's then-commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross.