DeSantis Prepares to Appoint Rubio’s Senate Replacement as He Joins Trump Cabinet

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Floridians will likely know who their next U.S. senator will be by the beginning of January, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Monday. With Florida’s senior Sen. Marco Rubio tapped to be President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state, it’s up to the governor to appoint his replacement, should Rubio be confirmed by his colleagues in the Senate. Under the U.S. Constitution and state law, the governor has the power to fill vacancies in the U.S. Senate, while voters decide who should fill vacancies in the U.S. House. DeSantis is gathering names and conducting “preliminary vetting” after receiving “strong interest” from several potential picks, he posted on social media Monday. In the coming weeks, the governor plans to do more extensive vetting and candidate interviews. “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,” DeSantis posted on X