Following Donald Trump’s decision to nominate Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, the guessing game has begun as to who Gov. Ron DeSantis will choose to fill his vacant seat.
Republican voters have a clear answer: Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara.
She became one of the leading names after leading the Republican National Committee throughout the campaign and garnering high praise.
Additionally, 59 percent of Republicans support her promotion to the Senate, according to an exclusive JL Partners poll on DailyMail.com.
About 36% say they “strongly” support this idea, while only 10% oppose it.
A poll of 1,006 registered voters found that reactions among the broader public were even more mixed.
Overall, 33% support sending her to the Senate, while 30% oppose it.
The decision lies with Florida’s governor, and DeSantis’ team has said it will take time to consider potential nominees.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Lara Trump, who is married to Donald Trump’s son Eric, is a leading candidate to fill the Senate seat that will be vacated when Sen. Marco Rubio becomes secretary of state.
Trump and Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump on the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on Thursday, July 18th.
James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, said the poll results show what DeSantis should do.
“Republican voters are pro-Trump voters and believe that Lara Trump should replace him in the Florida Senate.”
“Looking at these data, there is little chance of voter backlash.
This may not be all that surprising given the personal mandate these voters just gave Donald Trump, but this is in Ron DeSantis’ interest: getting Trump and the Republican foot soldiers on his side. indicates that both could mean appointing Lara Trump. ”
Things could get complicated this week with reports that President Trump is considering DeSantis as secretary of defense. This comes after his choice to endorse former Fox News host Pete Hegseth appeared to be in trouble amid reports of heavy drinking and illegal activities (allegations he denies). ). ).
In any case, DeSantis himself has said he will make a decision by early January.
But Trump’s volatile relationship with Trump and his own ambitions add even more layers to the conspiracy.
One theory is that he could plot his own path to the Senate by appointing himself governor or resigning as governor (term limits prevent him from being re-elected) and ensuring his successor sends him to Washington. I thought it was.
Florida Senate seat will become vacant with Marco Rubio’s inauguration into the Trump administration
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is responsible for filling the seat. He said he plans to make a decision before the Florida season opener. But his ties to the role of secretary of defense further confuse the possibility of a musical chairs investigation in Florida.
Alternatively, he could appoint a successor to fill Rubio’s term before running for re-election in 2026, giving him an advantage in the presidential election two years later.
But officials told NBC News the governor has no interest in pursuing a Senate seat.
That suggests his choice rests with Lara Trump, whose name was quickly floated by Trump supporters, or someone who isn’t Lara Trump.
“DeSantis knows what is expected of him,” said a person familiar with Mar-a-Lago’s thinking.
Choosing Lara would signal a truce between Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Trump after their bitter election results.
But if he wants to promote one of his close allies, he has plenty of local options.
His No. 2, Lieutenant Governor Janet Nunez, is the obvious choice. Also named are Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.
This gives Lara Trump the highest profile and most high-profile endorsement nationally.
Sen. Rick Scott, who preceded Mr. DeSantis as governor of Florida, wrote of X: “We need more Republicans in Washington who are determined to actually represent the Republican Party at home and to fulfill the mandate of this election: to make America great.” @LaraLeaTrump is that person.
President Trump has also expressed interest in her.
“If this is what they’re asking me to do, I’m going to seriously consider it, but I haven’t heard back from Gov. DeSantis yet.” So we’ll see what happens,” she said last month.
