This month, Ron DeSantis received a political gift from President-elect Donald Trump when he was assigned to fill a U.S. Senate seat.
Don’t expect the governor of Florida to unlock it before Christmas, though.
As the president-elect stocked his fledgling administration with state political leaders, one of Trump’s first significant cabinet appointments was Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who was appointed secretary of state. Rubio’s seat will become available due to the nomination, which will immediately spark conjecture about DeSantis’ choice and the extent of Trump’s involvement—the most well-known resident in the state—in the process.
However, according to five people familiar with the process, the DeSantis team is still considering its choices around two weeks after the Rubio announcement and does not anticipate showing its hand for at least a month.
According to a DeSantis adviser who spoke to NBC News, the governor will interview and thoroughly screen a number of applicants in December. He is not in a rush to make a big choice.
According to the governor, he intends to choose a candidate before the start of January.
Two schools of thought surfaced immediately after DeSantis selected Rubio: either he would select someone to fill the seat for the long term, or he would select a placeholder who would serve until the end of the term and then compete for the Senate himself in 2026 before a likely 2028 presidential candidacy.
There seems to be resolution on that first option. According to two individuals who spoke to NBC News, DeSantis is unlikely to run for or appoint himself to the Senate seat in 2026, even if it is permitted. DeSantis has removed his name from the board for the time being and doesn’t seem ready to go to the Senate.
According to a Florida Republican close to DeSantis’ team, the governor is not seeking a stand-in and is not expected to run for the Senate himself.
DeSantis’ next challenge is to decide whether to select Lara Trump, the president-elect’s daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, in order to appease Trump and his campaign staff. Although Trump has not publicly spoken, a number of his most ardent supporters—including Elon Musk, who has been by Trump’s side since election night—quickly put Lara’s name forward after it became apparent that Rubio’s seat would become vacant.
Lara Trump hasn’t done anything to deny the reports, for her part.
It would be an honor if I were called upon to serve in another position, she said Fox News over the weekend. Although I haven’t been asked yet, if it were put to me, I would definitely give it serious thought.
A complex relationship between the governor and the president-elect has once again been shown by the Trump political team’s insistence that DeSantis name one of its own. Following Trump’s 2018 endorsement of DeSantis for governor, the two men’s well-known loyalty has soured since DeSantis’ failed bid to unseat Trump for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.
However, Trump has taken an active role in Florida politics, making many issues that would otherwise appear more straightforward more difficult.
The biggest concern for him right now, according to a veteran Florida Republican and DeSantis ally, is whether Lara Trump is real or not. Lara Trump is obviously desired by Trump and his supporters, but does he [DeSantis] act on that desire? Will he give in? It’s not clear.
DeSantis is approaching the decision from a quite simple perspective: 2028.
Trump might be less likely to encounter strong opposition from the MAGA camp in the event of another possible presidential run if DeSantis allows him to choose. On the other hand, if he rejects the president-elect, it would indicate that the public truce that has been established between the two parties since DeSantis’ withdrawal from the presidential contest in January is eroding.
According to the Florida agent close to DeSantis, it tints everything. All of these issues must be seen through that lens if you think it’s crucial to avoid upsetting Trump, which I believe most people would agree with.
Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuez, Attorney General Ashley Moody, former House Speaker Paul Renner, Secretary of State Cord Byrd, former House Speaker Jose Oliva, and DeSantis chief of staff James Uthmeier are among the increasing number of possible state-level candidates that are currently on the short list in case DeSantis chooses not to select Lara Trump.
Both are well-known Florida Republicans who have been ardent supporters of DeSantis and are probably going to pass the screening and interview process. Because Uthmeier, a lawyer and senior DeSantis political and policy adviser, has expressed interest in becoming Florida’s attorney general, Moody in particular has sparked rumors.
“It’s not a very well-kept secret, and he’s been pretty open about it,” a longtime lobbyist from Florida said of Uthmeier. Although it’s unclear if he will make it there, it’s obvious that’s where he wants to go.
A request for comment on the attorney general prospect for this article was not answered by Uthmeier.
The GOP’s slim majority in the House, which has been further eroded by Trump’s selection of congressmen for his administration, including Florida Rep. Mike Waltz to be national security advisor, is a big reason why DeSantis is not considering any Republicans from Florida’s congressional delegation. Additionally, he first proposed former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz for attorney general; however, Gaetz has since removed his name from consideration and stated that he will not be returning to Congress the following year.
An ally of DeSantis who is familiar with his philosophy stated, “I don’t think DeSantis wants to impact the Republican majority.” I’m not sure who the [Florida] congressman is, if any are being considered.
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