REPORT: Leading Candidate Has Been Ruled Out As Senate Replacement For Marco Rubio
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is reportedly ruling out one candidate in the race to fill the soon-to-open Senate seat that is currently occupied by Marco Rubio, who is President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State.
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) — who withdrew his name from consideration on Thursday after Trump nominated him for attorney general — is not likely to be selected as Rubio’s replacement, a source close to Governor DeSantis told the JP.
“He won’t appoint Matt,” the source told the outlet.
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Gaetz, who is very popular with the president-elect’s base, was immediately viewed as a candidate after he withdrew his name from consideration. In an X post, the Florida lawmaker explained that while he was making progress with senators, he wanted to avoid a protracted confirmation process that would hinder the Trump Administration’s ability to operate on day one.
🚨BREAKING: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will reportedly NOT be appointing Matt Gaetz to Marco Rubio’s vacant Senate seat – JP.
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Four Republican senators reportedly opposed Gaetz’s nomination; Mitch McConnell (KY), Lisa Murkwoski (AK), Susan Collins (ME) and Senator-elect John Curtis (UT).
Gaetz previously resigned from Congress after he was nominated, though it is unclear whether he will still be able to serve in the 119th Congress, as he resigned from the 118th Congress.
Other top candidates to fill Rubio’s Senate seat include Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Florida lieutenant governor Jeanette Nuñez, and DeSantis’s chief of staff, James Uthmeier. If Uthmeir is picked, he would widely be viewed as a potential placeholder for DeSantis, who could run for the seat when he terms out as governor.
Republican National Committee co-Chair Lara Trump has also been viewed as a candidate for the role. Trump has stated that she is open to the proposition and has received endorsements from several prominent Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Senator Katie Britt (R-AL).
Rubio was re-elected in 2022, meaning that a special election would be held between his replacement and a Democrat challenger in 2026. The winner of that race would need to win again in 2028 in order to secure a full, six-year term.
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