President-elect Donald Trump‘s decision to tap Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) for his Cabinet could open a path for his daughter-in-law to enter the Senate.
Rubio is set to leave his Senate seat to serve as Trump’s secretary of state, meaning Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) will appoint another Floridian to replace Rubio and reinforce the GOP’s three-seat majority in the chamber. While the governor could legally appoint himself to replace Rubio, the logistics of resigning and promoting Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez might be too convoluted.
However, Republican National Committee Co-Chairwoman Lara Trump has been suggested as a replacement for Rubio by some Republicans, including Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). Lara Trump said she is “humbled and honored” to be considered a contender for the seat.
“I know my name has been thrown out there a lot, and I would say that my experience at the RNC has really shown me, you know, serving the American people, and if I were tapped for this serving my home state now of Florida. It’s a great honor and a great responsibility, obviously, but I would love to be able to go forward and do more,” Lara Trump said Thursday on Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria.
“If this is something I’m asked to do, I would seriously consider it, but I have yet to hear from Governor DeSantis, so we’ll see what happens,” she added.
Scott pushed for Lara Trump to get the seat in a Thursday X post, saying she “would be a GREAT Senator and represent Floridians well!”
Other Republicans who have endorsed Lara Trump to take the seat include Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL).
“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 understands what we’re up against, and that’s to fight to protect the American dream.”
.@LaraLeaTrump needs to be the nominated replacement by @GovDeSantis for Rubio. She will keep the seat and avoid a messy primary for FLORIDA. Well spoken. Kicked butt on election integrity. Etc.
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) November 12, 2024
“@LaraLeaTrump needs to be the nominated replacement by @GovDeSantis for Rubio. She will keep the seat and avoid a messy primary for FLORIDA. Well spoken. Kicked butt on election integrity. Etc,” Luna said in a Tuesday X post.
Lara Trump had been floated as a Senate candidate in North Carolina for the 2022 election, a state where she has more established ties, but ultimately, she decided against running.
DeSantis will make the appointment once Rubio’s seat is vacated. Some of the frontrunners reportedly include Nunez, Republican Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, and DeSantis’s chief of staff, James Uthmeier.
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Whoever is picked to fill Rubio’s seat would only serve until a special election is held in 2026 for the two remaining years on the current term, and then another election for the seat would be held in 2028 for a full six-year term.
DeSantis had not discussed the looming vacant seat other than a Thursday post on X in which he called on the state secretary of state to “formulate and announce a schedule for the upcoming special elections” for the House and Senate seats that will need to be filled.
