Gov. Ron DeSantis’ announcement that he’s appointing Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio places the 49-year-old Plant City native in an exotic locale far from home.

Moody, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis announced as the replacement for future Secretary of State Marco Rubio once the exiting Senator is confirmed by his soon-to-be-former colleagues next week, will be buoyed by the eponymous Moody for Florida committee, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will succeed Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday.

DeSantis said he wanted an appointee who would be strong on immigration enforcement, support cutting the federal bureaucracy and fight “the woke agenda.”

Florida GOP leaders welcomed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointment of Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill Marco Rubio’s soon-to-be vacant seat in the U.S. Senate Thursday, calling her a “conservative warrior” and praising her attention to immigration laws.

Gov. Ron DeSantis praised Moody, who has served as Florida's attorney general since 2019, for fighting against policies he described as part of the Democratic Party's "woke agenda."

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will take Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the appointment on Thursday, making Moody only the second woman to represent Florida in the chamber.

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Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the Justice Department as attorney general, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for her confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Ben Curtis/AP)

President-elect Donald Trump arrived in Washington on Jan 18 evening for an inauguration celebration marking his return to power that has been upended by record-cold temperatures. Trump landed in the area with his wife Melania in the early evening from his home base in Palm Beach,

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to be the state's next U.S. senator. The announcement comes after President-elect Donald Trump nominated U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida's senior senator since 2010, to be secretary of state.