Florida governor Ron DeSantis has selected the Florida Attorney General, Ashley Moody, to become the state’s next U.S. senator once Marco Rubio leaves office to become Secretary of State. Moody is set to serve until 2026, when a special election can be held to fill the final two years of the term. Rubio was last elected in 2022, meaning his term lasts until 2028.
Moody was elected Attorney General by Florida voters in 2018, and re-elected in 2022. Prior to running for elected office, she worked overseeing the network of state universities in Florida and was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida. Her first run for office came in 2006, when she won her race in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. Moody holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Florida, plus a Master of Laws in international law from Stetson University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida.
“I will bring the same persistence and passion and tenacity as a United States senator that I have brought as Florida’s attorney general,” Moody said at a press conference Thursday. “If you have worked with me and fought with me over the last six years, you know I don’t think of this as a job. I think of it as a calling.”
Moody will be the second woman to serve in the U.S. Senate representing Florida, following the late Republican Paula Hawkins who served from 1981 to 1987. The appointment of Moody to the Senate will not affect its 52-seat GOP majority, as the outgoing Rubio was also a Republican.
Moody’s Tenure as Attorney General
Moody’s official government portrait. ⓒ Florida Attorney General’s Office
Since being elected in 2018, Moody has been a champion of Gov. DeSantis’ political positions in the legal sphere. She strongly opposed ballot measures for legalized recreational marijuana and abortion access, and backed legislation adding that felons with restored voting rights (a measure approved by Florida voters) would have to pay all court fees before regaining suffrage.
Also of note, in 2021 Moody participated in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as Obamacare. Her support of the lawsuit earned her criticism from top Florida Democrats for its timing during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it took seemingly little toll on her political career.
In announcing his selection of Moody for the Senate seat, DeSantis cited her ‘strong record of combating illegal immigration’, ‘conservative principles’, support for law enforcement, and alignment with President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda.
The Vacating of Rubio’s Seat
Marco Rubio was elected to his third six-year term in the U.S. Senate in 2022. Had he chosen to, he had the ability to serve until 2028, but in November 2024 Donald Trump announced he was picking Rubio to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of State. Rubio will be vacating his Senate seat to serve in the second Trump administration, leaving four years up for grabs.
Read More: Marco Rubio Picked as Trump’s Secretary of State
The first two years will be filled out by Moody, as the Florida governor is empowered to appoint a replacement until a special election can be held. That special election will occur in 2026, with the winner serving for the final two years of what was once Rubio’s term. Moody has already begun organizing for another campaign in two years, likely competing against Congressman Cory Mills (R, FL-7), who has said he plans to run. In 2028 yet another Senate election will be held, this time for a full six-year term in office.
Who Replaces Moody as Attorney General?
Ron DeSantis has already announced his pick to take over Moody’s job as Florida Attorney General. He’ll be appointing James Uthmeier, his chief of staff, to fill out the end of Moody’s term which runs until 2026. At that point, a regularly-scheduled election will be held for Florida Attorney General.
Prior to joining DeSantis’ administration, Uthmeier served in the U.S. Department of Commerce from 2017 to 2019 under then-President Donald Trump, working as a senior advisor. He became DeSantis’ deputy general counsel in 2019, and then general counsel the following year. In 2021, a year before DeSantis was re-elected, Uthmeier became chief of staff.
Reactions in Washington and Florida
Moody’s appointment to the Senate has been celebrated by leading Republicans in both state and federal government. “I applaud Governor DeSantis on his selection of Attorney General Ashley Moody as our state’s next U.S. Senator and look forward to working with her in the halls of Congress as we fight to Make America Great Again,” said Congressman Byron Donalds (R, FL-19).
“I welcome [Ashley Moody] to the United States Senate!” concurred Rick Scott, the other of Florida’s two senators. “Ashley has done an incredible job fighting for Floridians and keeping our communities safe as Attorney General. I have no doubt she will do an incredible job as senator!”
Florida Democrats, meanwhile, are less enthusiastic about Moody’s latest political ascension. “Ashley Moody has been Ron [DeSantis]’s personal lapdog from day one,” said Florida Democratic Chair Nikki Fried. “Despite her role as an independent constitutional officer, she has insisted on calling him ‘boss’ and defended his extreme agenda at every turn.”
