FLORIDA – Navigating the future of Florida’s political scene in December 2024 is nearly impossible as recent moves by President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, and ex-congressman Matt Gaetz have contributed to more speculation over who will be the state’s next senator.
Another pressing inquiry created by the decisions is how Governor DeSantis figures into it all.
The recent conundrum started when President-elect Trump named Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his nominee for Secretary of State, which left a political vacuum in Florida.
A name that many speculated would be appointed to the seat, a decision made by Gov. Ron DeSantis, was head of the Republican National Committee Lara Trump.
But, there are some political issues for her. She’s only been a Republican for a few years and hasn’t been a Florida resident that long either. She also recently withdrew her name as a possible replacement for Marco Rubio.
Then, ex-congressman Matt Gaetz, just one day before the House released a report following its investigation into serious ethics allegations against him, hinted at a gubernatorial run but added that a run for Florida’s Senate seat could be in the cards.
“My fellow Floridians have asked me to eye the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee,” Gaetz said. “Maybe special counsel to go after insider trading for my former colleagues in Congress. It seems… maybe I’ll just run for Marco Rubio’s vacant seat in the United States Senate."
But the decision to replace Rubio truly falls on the shoulders of Governor Ron DeSantis, a decision that many political pundits believe could have massive implications for DeSantis’s political future.
FSCJ Political Science Professor Daniel Cronrath suggested that DeSantis could nominate a placeholder who wouldn’t run for “reelection” when the seat is up for grabs through a special election in 2026 before a normal election is held for the seat in 2028.
“There have been some suggestions that he will put a placeholder in the Senate, somebody who’s going to state, ‘I’m not interested in running for this seat,‘” said Cronrath. “He only has a partial-one term remaining. He’s very young in his career politically.”
One name that’s been floated is Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, but another issue is whether some of these Florida politicians also plan to run for governor.
However, that could lead to a rather interesting situation, which could see DeSantis run for Senate in 2028 while Moody runs for the governor seat he currently holds, Cronrath notes.