MIAMI – If President-elect Donald Trump selects Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Gov. Ron DeSantis would acquire the ability to nominate Rubio’s transient Senate alternative.
Rubio, who used to be re-elected to his six-year time period in 2022, would vacate a seat that does not finish till 2028.
The appointed alternative would serve till a 2026 particular election to finish the overall two years of Rubio’s time period — which means the appointee must win once more in 2028 to safe a complete time period.
CBS Information Miami’s Jim DeFede, mentioning conversations with a couple of Republican assets, experiences that a number of situations are being mentioned for a way DeSantis might continue:
Appointing leader of workforce James Uthmeier
Uthmeier, who serves as DeSantis’s leader of workforce and used to be marketing campaign supervisor for his presidential marketing campaign, may act as a caretaker within the Senate function till 2026. This transfer would give DeSantis the solution to run for the Senate seat himself within the 2026 particular election, aligning with the top of his gubernatorial time period.
Appointing Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez
Nunez, a Cuban-American from Miami, has been a faithful best friend to DeSantis. Her appointment may provide continuity for Cuban-American illustration, changing Rubio, who stocks the similar background.
DeSantis takes the Senate seat
DeSantis may paintings with Nunez to renounce as governor, permitting her to ascend to the governorship and appoint him immediately to the Senate seat, bypassing the wish to wait till 2026.
Different doable contenders for DeSantis’s appointment come with Legal professional Normal Ashley Moody and previous Florida Space Speaker Jose Oliva, who may be a Cuban-American from Miami.
There may be additionally hypothesis that DeSantis may appoint his spouse, Casey DeSantis to the seat. Casey DeSantis has lengthy been fascinated with state govt and he or she enjoys large recognition around the state.
With a number of Republican leaders within the combine, DeSantis’s resolution may reshape Florida’s political panorama, particularly if he eyes the Senate seat himself as a part of a longer-term technique.
