Ron DeSantis slows the process to fill Marco Rubio's Senate seat as pressure from Trump world grows [View all]
Source: Yahoo! News/NBC News
Updated Thu, November 28, 2024 at 9:07 PM EST
President-elect Donald Trump handed Ron DeSantis a political gift this month when he gave him a U.S. Senate seat to fill. Just don’t expect the Florida governor to open it before Christmas. One of Trump's first major picks to fill his Cabinet was Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, as the president-elect stocks his nascent administration with political leaders from the state. The nomination will open up Rubio’s seat, quickly stirring speculation about whom DeSantis would pick and how involved Trump, the state's most famous resident, will be in the process.
Roughly two weeks after the Rubio announcement, however, DeSantis’ team is still working through its options and does not plan to show its hand for at least a month, according to five people familiar with the process. “The governor will be conducting a thorough vetting process and interview process in December that will involve several candidates,” a DeSantis adviser told NBC News. “He’s not in a hurry to make an important decision.”
The governor has said he plans to make his selection by the beginning of January. In the immediate aftermath of the Rubio pick, two schools of thought emerged: DeSantis could appoint a placeholder who would serve until the terms ends and then run for the Senate himself in 2026 ahead of a likely 2028 presidential bid, or pick someone to serve in the seat for the long term.
On that first choice, there appears to be resolution. DeSantis, two sources tell NBC News, is not likely to seek the Senate seat in 2026 or appoint himself to the spot, which is allowed. DeSantis does not appear poised to head to the Senate and has for now taken his name off the board. “The governor is not looking for a placeholder and seems unlikely to pursue the Senate himself,” a Florida Republican close to DeSantis’ team said.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/ron-desantis-slows-process-fill-120000817.html
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