With Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) expected to be tapped for Secretary of State in the Trump administration, there may be an unexpected opening in the Florida Senate seat. This change could allow Governor Ron DeSantis to appoint a replacement. Some GOP sources speculate that RNC co-chair Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of President-elect Donald Trump, is a leading contender for the position. However, neither Rubio’s potential appointment nor DeSantis’s choice for a successor has been confirmed.
On Tuesday, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) publicly expressed her support for President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as a potential candidate to fill the Florida Senate seat. This move suggests possible backing from Trump allies in favor of the selection. Rubio’s expected move to Secretary of State will create a vacancy that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is poised to fill. “She just got off a historic win,” Britt told Axios. “She understands the America First agenda. For me, I think she would be a tremendous pick, a voice for hard-working families and another mom of school-aged kids that understand what we’re up against, and that’s to fight to protect the American dream.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) also vouched for the wife of Eric Trump. “I’m actually going to make a public call for Governor DeSantis to appoint Laura Trump to fill Marco Rubio’s term in office,” Luna said on the Benny Johnson show. “I think that she is the best fit if he becomes Secretary of State, which I think he’s going to.” She continued: “I think Laura Trump would avoid a really nasty primary in two years when that seat then comes open. And I think that she has the qualifications. She proved herself, not just, I think, as a national leader, but also as a stateswoman. She fought for election integrity nationally, and I would argue was largely responsible for securing President Trump’s win. If she’ll take it, I think that she would be the perfect fit.”
She concluded: “I think that Governor DeSantis is looking for someone that would take that job seriously, and I think that she has all the qualifications, to include the pedigree, to be a wonderful U.S. Senator. I’m giving her my full backing. I don’t know if she’s fully decided on whether or not she wants to do it, but I think that she’d be great. So I think that that’s phase one.”
Sources told Axios that potential candidates for the Florida Senate seat could include James Uthmeier, chief of staff for Governor Ron DeSantis, and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. The relationship between DeSantis and Trump has been marked by tension, particularly during the primaries, with notable exchanges between the two.
Lara Trump played an active role in her father-in-law’s political career, serving as a senior advisor during Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign. In March, she further expanded her political influence by being elected co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC). In this role, she has been instrumental in shaping the party’s strategy and policy direction, focusing on energizing the conservative base and broadening outreach efforts across key demographics.