Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who has established a reputation for being a true conservative who stands on his principles and puts them into action, gave an update concerning who he is going to tap to take Sen. Marco Rubio’s seat in the Senate as he prepares for his new position as Secretary of State within the incoming Trump administration. Taking to social media platform X, DeSantis stated that the search for a replacement is currently underway.
“We have already received strong interest from several possible candidates, and we continue to gather names of additional candidates and conduct preliminary vetting. More extensive vetting and candidate interviews will be conducted over the next few weeks, with a selection likely made by the beginning of January,” the governor explained in his post. “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.”
Senator Marco Rubio is expected to resign from the Senate to assume duties as Secretary of State when the Trump administration takes power on January 20th, creating a vacancy roughly two months from today.
We have already received strong interest from several possible…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 18, 2024
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Florida has not seen a new U.S. senator since 2019 when Rick Scott (R-FL) left his second term as governor to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Democrat Bill Nelson before he became the administrator of NASA. Rubio, the senior senator, rode into office as part of the 2010 Tea Party wave and was in the middle of serving his third six-year term when tapped by Trump. According to state law, DeSantis is empowered to nominate his replacement and could even nominate himself if he chose to do so.
The power to make a selection to the most powerful deliberative body in the world also has its pitfalls. In 2009, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was indicated by the Justice Department after orchestrating a scheme to sell former President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat to the highest bidder. The Democrat was impeached by legislative leadership in his own party and served eight years in prison on public corruption charges.
DeSantis, who was formerly a critic of the president-elect, has since been working hard to build rapport with Trump. He took to X after the election to congratulate the incoming president on a “sweeping electoral victory” that he referred to as a “mandate for change.”
“The scope of the victory — electoral swing state domination, popular vote victory, and a Republican-controlled Senate — represents a decisive rejection of the Biden-Harris administration,” DeSantis posted. “Roughly 75% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track. With last night’s results, that is likely to change for the better very soon.”
.@realDonaldTrump not only earned a sweeping electoral victory, he earned a mandate for change.
The scope of the victory — electoral swing state domination, popular vote victory, and a Republican-controlled Senate — represents a decisive rejection of the Biden-Harris…
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 6, 2024
when DeSantis was asked if he was hoping he would be able to grab a position in the new Trump administration, the Florida Republican remarked that he’s perfectly happy with his current position as governor.
“I think for me, I’m not seeking anything,” DeSantis stated. “I’ve got a great job in the state of Florida. … How can I best make a difference? I think, you know, given where we are, I think me quarterbacking the Sunshine State is probably how I make the biggest difference.”
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