DeSantis picks Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill Marco Rubio's Senate seat

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Ashley Moody, the state's attorney general, will succeed Senator Marco Rubio when he vacates his seat to become secretary of state.

DeSantis said at a press conference in Orlando that, after "thinking long and hard," he chose Moody because of her "demonstrated record of delivering results." "Talk is cheap," he added.

The lawyer, politician, and former judge meets all of the Republican governor's requirements: she is "going to work with President Trump to deliver on the mandate he earned from the American people," he explained, aiming to cut spending and inflation and hold the "federal bureaucracy accountable."

In addition, he emphasized that she is well-versed in the fight against illegal immigration and that, when considering legal immigration, she will prioritize Americans first.

'America First, let's get it done!'

"Governor: I want you to know I will not let you down," Moody said as she took the stand. "I will not let the citizens of Florida down and I will not let my country down."

The Republican lashed out at "unelected bureaucrats" in federal agencies and international organizations who, she said, steal sovereignty from Americans.

"The only way to return this country to the people is to make sure we have a strong Congress doing its job, passing laws and actually approving the regulations," she said.

She also explained that her personal motivation was rooted in her family and faith in God, and dedicated a special message to the president-elect and his new colleagues: "America First, let's get it done!"

A blow to the Biden administration

Florida's attorney general is highly popular among Florida Republicans, to the point where she is the only elected official in the state to surpass DeSantis' margin of victory in both the 2018 and 2022 elections.

In 2006, at the age of 31, Moody became the youngest judge in Florida's history. 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 represent parents who fail to appear in court with their children. She also developed a mentoring program for at-risk youth within the juvenile delinquency system," her profile as attorney general states.

Her 2018 candidacy was endorsed by a prominent group of state Republicans, including Pam Bondi, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, and Matt Gaetz. Since then, Moody has been a strong ally of Governor DeSantis, particularly on his anti-abortion and recreational marijuana policies.

The Florida attorney general's office also helped advance the Republican agenda at the national level. DeSantis said that she had become "a national leader in fighting the Biden administration on many fronts." He highlighted, among other actions, her investigation into an assassination attempt on Trump—while Washington hesitated to investigate—her lawsuits against Biden's border policies, and her impeachment request against Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security.

Moody could not run for attorney general again. In 2026, she will have to compete in a special election to hold Rubio's seat for the last two years of the term. For now, it looks like she will have a challenger: Republican Rep. Cory Mills said he would likely campaign no matter who DeSantis chose.

James Uthmeier, Moody's replacement

While declining to appoint him while the position is still filled, DeSantis also assured that his chief of staff, James Uthmeier, will be the state's next attorney general. 

"He's proven himself in this fights," he maintained. "He'll do a good job."