Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he'll need more time to pick Marco Rubio's replacement
TALLAHASSEE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will take a little more time to mull a replacement for Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been tapped to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of state.
DeSantis on Tuesday said he will appoint a senator to complete the remaining two years of Rubio's term around the time of Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration.
"I think we've got a number of great candidates, but I want to make sure that we know what we're going to get," DeSantis said during an appearance in Tampa.
When Trump named Rubio as his pick for secretary of state, DeSantis said he expected to name a replacement by the beginning of January. Rubio needs to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to hold a hearing on Jan. 15 — setting him up to be confirmed as early as Jan. 20.
DeSantis reiterated Tuesday his appointee must be strong on immigration enforcement and support cutting the federal bureaucracy.
"I can endorse somebody and they run and win, like they don't owe me anything," DeSantis said. "But, if I'm appointing you, I want to know that you're going to be strong on all these issues. Then you run in '26 and get elected on your own. Right? Great. And then you can, you know, you answer to the voters there. But this one, for these next two years, we want somebody that's really going to be able to deliver."
Rubio's term is scheduled to expire in 2028, but DeSantis' appointee would serve until an election is held in 2026.
Several names continue to be floated as potential candidates, including Attorney General Ashley Moody, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, state Sen. Jay Collins, U.S. Rep. Cory Mills and James Uthmeier, DeSantis' chief of staff.
In December, Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of President-elect Trump, said she was removing herself from consideration to be a Florida senator — ending speculation that she could replace Rubio.
