President-elect Trump’s poaching of various high-profile Florida officers to serve in his second administration is creating openings for a brand new slate of leaders within the Sunshine State.
Trump nomination of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) will give Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) the chance to nominate a substitute who will serve till 2026. In the meantime, Trump has requested DeSantis himself about the opportunity of accepting a nomination to be Protection secretary, ought to Pete Hegseth’s nomination fall via.
The appointments and nominations have created a political domino state of affairs in Florida, giving a few of the state’s up-and-coming political figures possibilities to maneuver up within the state’s ranks.
Listed here are six Floridians that would shake up the state’s political panorama.
Gov. Ron DeSantis
If DeSantis had been to depart the governor’s mansion to be Trump’s Protection secretary nominee — or any job throughout the administration — it could set off a significant tectonic shift in Florida’s management chain.
Final week, Trump reached out to DeSantis about the opportunity of nominating him to lead the Pentagon as Hegseth’s nomination confronted headwinds amongst various Senate Republicans. A supply acquainted with the scenario advised The Hill that DeSantis was significantly contemplating the place ought to Hegseth’s nomination fall via.
Hegseth is going through allegations of sexual misconduct and extreme ingesting, however he and Trump preserve that the previous Fox Information host won’t take his title out of consideration. Hegseth was again on Capitol Hill on Monday to satisfy with Republican senators.
Nonetheless, the concept of DeSantis leaving Tallahassee for Washington to work within the administration would seemingly lead to Lieutenant Gov. Jeanette Nuñez (R) taking the reins, opening up the lieutenant governor function. The state of affairs may additionally influence the 2026 race for governor, notably the Republican main.
Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez
Nuñez is first in line to interchange the governor if he had been to depart earlier than his time period is up in two years. Like many lieutenant governors, she is just not broadly identified in Florida. The 52-year-old can be the primary girl and first Cuban American girl to function Florida governor.
Whereas Nuñez has strongly backed DeSantis’s conservative insurance policies throughout their tenures main the state, she has a extra reasonable observe file than him. Whereas in Florida’s Home of Representatives, Nuñez labored with a Republican colleague within the state Senate to sponsor laws that will allow immigrant kids within the nation illegally to qualify for in-state tuition.
Moreover, Nuñez has not at all times been a supporter of the president-elect. In 2016, she supported Rubio’s bid within the Republican presidential main and referred to Trump as “the most important con-man there may be” in a now-deleted tweet.
Lara Trump
Whereas there’s no indication in the mean time that the governor’s mansion will must be stuffed earlier than 2026, one of many state’s Senate seats will virtually definitely must be.
With Rubio anticipated to be confirmed to be secretary of State, hypothesis has mounted round whom DeSantis will appoint to fill the seat till 2026. Numerous names had been initially floated, together with Nuñez, state Legal professional Normal Ashley Moody (R) and DeSantis’s chief of employees, James Uthmeier.
Nonetheless, the president-elect’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, has stated she would “significantly take into account” serving as senator if appointed and additional stoked hypothesis after she stepped down as Republican Nationwide Committee co-chair this week.
Appointing Lara Trump to the Senate may very well be seen as a goodwill gesture from DeSantis to President-elect Trump, given their rocky relationship following the presidential main. Some have additionally floated the state of affairs of DeSantis appointing Lara Trump if he had been to be tapped for Protection secretary.
There is no such thing as a indication DeSantis has decided on who will change Rubio and has stated the choice will seemingly be made by the start of January.
Rep. Byron Donalds
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) has been floated a 2026 Republican gubernatorial candidate. Previous to their nominations to the Trump administration, it was thought {that a} three-way GOP main was forming amongst Donalds, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).
Nonetheless, with Waltz’s appointment as Trump’s nationwide safety adviser and Gaetz withdrawing from the lawyer common nominating course of amid myriad sexual misconduct allegations, Donalds is taken into account by many Florida Republicans to be in a major place forward of 2026.
After all, it’s nonetheless doable Gaetz and different Republicans may launch bids, however Donalds, an in depth Trump ally, is seen because the most secure decide in the mean time.
Legal professional Normal Ashley Moody
Moody has additionally been floated as a doable substitute for Rubio and is a Florida energy participant to look at.
Final month, Moody made headlines when she filed a lawsuit in opposition to the Division of Justice after it advised the state to quickly pause its investigation into the second assassination try in opposition to Trump till the federal probe was wrapped. Moody stated state officers had been advised to not interview witnesses and that their function was to cooperate with the federal investigation.
Moreover, Moody may doubtlessly see her personal profile rise as an lawyer common of a crimson state through the Trump administration, notably on the difficulty of immigration and the president-elect’s plans for mass deportations.
“It’s going to be fascinating to see how attorneys common use this new leverage with the administration,” Florida-based GOP strategist Ford O’Connell stated.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz
Florida Democrats have skilled a slew of losses in latest election cycles because the state has leaned extra Republican.
However Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz (Fla.) has efficiently boosted his profile in Congress and is now being floated as a Democratic gubernatorial contender forward of 2026.
Moskowitz has a bipartisan file on and off Capitol Hill. Earlier this month, he turned the primary Democrat to hitch the Republican-led Delivering Excellent Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) Caucus. Moskowitz was appointed by DeSantis in 2018 to be the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Administration.
Moskowitz’s bipartisan file may attraction to a broader swath of voters in a statewide race down the road.
