Vance, Rubio Replacements Appointed

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, Florida AG Ashley Moody heading to Senate

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The Governors of Ohio and Florida have announced their picks to succeed JD Vance and Marco Rubio in the US Senate.

On Friday – a full week after Mr. Vance's Jan. 10 resignation from the Senate – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine chose Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to succeed the Vice President-Elect.

The appointment of Mr. Husted puts to rest speculation that DeWine might be considering former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to replace Sen. Vance – an unlikely scenario, given that the tech titan withdrew his name from Senate consideration weeks ago, citing his position as co-director of President-Elect Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

Though Mr. Husted is literally being handed a Senate seat, his long-term path is not without challenges. Former Senator Sherrod Brown (D), who newly-elected Senator Bernie Moreno (R) unseated in November, says he is not done with public service, and is viewed as a possible 2026 contender vying for the right to serve the balance of the current term. 

Though his 2024 bid failed, Mr. Brown did succeed in raising a whopping $103 million for his campaign. Considering his long record in Ohio politics, were the former Senator to run in 2026, Mr. Husted would be forced to conduct an expensive major campaign against a very formidable opponent. 

Additionally, even if successful in 2026, Mr. Husted would again face the voters in 2028 when this particular seat next comes in-cycle. In short, he can expect to be in full campaign mode for a four-year period.  

Friday's news out of Ohio follows a similar development in Florida, where on Thursday Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his pick to succeed Sen. Marco Rubio (R), who is widely-expected to be confirmed as US Secretary of State.

As expected, based upon recent predictions, Gov. DeSantis selected state Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) to assume the Senate seat once the position officially becomes vacant – which should be soon. President-Elect Trump will nominate his cabinet choices once he is sworn into office on Jan. 20, and when certain confirmation hearings are completed, we can expect the Senate to take swift action regarding key confirmation votes.

Senator Rubio is expected to sail through the process since he is a well-known figure to all Senators. Once he is officially confirmed, the new Secretary of State will resign the Senate seat and Ms. Moody will likely be on hand to take the oath of office for her new position. This would mean no lapse in Florida Senate representation.

Attorney General Moody is close to Gov. DeSantis and has twice proven she can win a Florida statewide election. In 2018, Ms. Moody, a former circuit judge, was elected Attorney General with 52.1% of the general election vote. In 2022, she increased her vote share to 60.6%. As with Mr. Husted in Ohio, Ms. Moody will run to fill the balance of her new term in 2026, and then have the opportunity of campaigning for a full six-year term in 2028.

Additionally, Ms. Moody will apparently face significant opposition in the next Republican primary. US Rep. Cory Mills (R-New Smyrna Beach) said earlier in the week that he will enter the Senate primary regardless of whom Gov. DeSantis appoints.

The current spate of Florida political musical chairs is allowing Gov. DeSantis, who cannot seek a third term in 2026, to continue shaping a large segment of his state's future government. Not only did he pick Ms. Moody for the Senate, but he will now be able to choose a replacement Attorney General.

Furthermore, with former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) leaving his 1st District seat, current Florida CFO Jimmy Petronis (R) entered the special election field and is widely viewed as the favorite. Under Florida state law, any officeholder running for a different position must resign his current post.

Since the 1st District special election is scheduled for April 1, Mr. Petronis announced that he will leave his current position on March 31. Regardless if Mr. Petronis wins or loses the congressional seat, the statewide CFO position will be open at the beginning of April, and Gov. DeSantis will then have the opportunity of filling that position, as well.

Looking ahead, the state of Florida will experience a period of significant political change over the course of the next two years, and Gov. DeSantis will have the power to choose his allies to lead the state long after he leaves office.

Jim Ellis is a 35-year veteran of politics at the state and national levels. He has served ss executive director for two national political action committees, as well as a consultant to the three national Republican Party organizations in DC, the National Federation of Independent Business, and various national conservative groups.

Born and raised in Sacramento, California, he earned a B. A. in Political Science from the University of California at Davis in 1979. Jim raised his daughter, Jacqueline, alone after his wife died following a tragic car accident. He helped establish the Joan Ellis Victims Assistance Network in Rochester, NH. Jim also is a member of the Northern Virginia Football Officials Association, which officiates high school games throughout the region.

Editor's note:

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