Ron DeSantis says Marco Rubio replacement senator must have ‘proven record of results’ as MAGA pushes for Lara Trump appointment
Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that whoever he picks to replace Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) must have a “proven record of results” — in response to a push for Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump to be appointed to the seat.
“Florida deserves a Senator who will help President[-elect Donald] 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,” DeSantis, 46, wrote in a statement on X.
Trump tapped Rubio to serve as his secretary of state last week. With the 53-year-old expected to cruise to confirmation, Rubio will likely resign from the Senate sometime before Trump, 78, is sworn in Jan. 20.
Under Florida law, DeSantis will pick Rubio’s replacement to fill the seat until a special election can be held in 2026. Whoever wins that race will complete Rubio’s term before coming up for election again in 2028.
The decision could either reignite or bury the fight that took place between DeSantis and the 45th president during the GOP primaries.
The relationship has been thawing in the months following Trump’s win, but the governor is facing pressure to appoint Lara Trump, the wife of once and future first son Eric Trump.
Among those who have endorsed Lara Trump to fill Rubio’s seat are Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.), as well as Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) — though Donald Trump himself has been conspicuously silent on the matter.
Other names that have been floated to fill the vacancy include James Uthmeier, DeSantis’ current chief of staff and former general counsel, and Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, who would be the first Latina to represent the Sunshine State in the Senate.
Lara Trump, 42, told WABC 770 AM hosts John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby on Monday that she hadn’t spoken with DeSantis about the Senate appointment, but said, “If it’s something I’m asked to do, it would truly be an honor.”
“I do know the Make-America-Great-Again-America-First agenda better than anyone,” she said. “I’ve lived it for nine years right alongside Donald Trump.”
“I know the people of Florida. I’ve been a Florida resident for 3 1/2 years,” she added. “We want our country back. We want a closed border. We want more money in our pockets. We want no new wars. We want to end what’s going on in the Middle East and in Europe.”
DeSantis said in his statement he has already “received strong interest from several possible candidates” and that he’s continuing to interview and vet candidates.
“More extensive vetting and candidate interviews will be conducted over the next few weeks,” the Florida governor wrote, “with a selection likely made by the beginning of January.”
