President-elect Trump’s poaching of a number of high-profile Florida officials to serve in his second administration is creating openings for a new slate of leaders in the Sunshine State.
Trump nomination of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) will give Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) the opportunity to appoint a replacement who will serve until 2026. Meanwhile, Trump has asked DeSantis himself about the possibility of accepting a nomination to be Defense secretary, should Pete Hegseth’s nomination fall through.
The appointments and nominations have created a political domino scenario in Florida, giving some of the state’s up-and-coming political figures chances to move up in the state’s ranks.
Here are six Floridians that could shake up the state’s political landscape.
Gov. Ron DeSantis
If DeSantis were to leave the governor’s mansion to be Trump’s Defense secretary nominee — or any job within the administration — it would set off a major tectonic shift in Florida’s leadership chain.
Last week, Trump reached out to DeSantis about the possibility of nominating him to lead the Pentagon as Hegseth’s nomination faced headwinds among a number of Senate Republicans. A source familiar with the situation told The Hill that DeSantis was seriously considering the position should Hegseth’s nomination fall through.
Hegseth is facing allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking, but he and Trump maintain that the former Fox News host will not take his name out of consideration. Hegseth was back on Capitol Hill on Monday to meet with Republican senators.
Still, the idea of DeSantis leaving Tallahassee for Washington to work in the administration would likely result in Lieutenant Gov. Jeanette Nuñez (R) taking the reins, opening up the lieutenant governor role. The scenario could also impact the 2026 race for governor, particularly the Republican primary.
Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez
Nuñez is first in line to replace the governor if he were to leave before his term is up in two years. Like many lieutenant governors, she is not widely known in Florida. The 52-year-old would be the first woman and first Cuban American woman to serve as Florida governor.
While Nuñez has strongly backed DeSantis’s conservative policies during their tenures leading the state, she has a more moderate track record than him. While in Florida’s House of Representatives, Nuñez worked with a Republican colleague in the state Senate to sponsor legislation that would permit immigrant children in the country illegally to qualify for in-state tuition.
Additionally, Nuñez has not always been a supporter of the president-elect. In 2016, she supported Rubio’s bid in the Republican presidential primary and referred to Trump as “the biggest con-man there is” in a now-deleted tweet.
Lara Trump
While there’s no indication at the moment that the governor’s mansion will need to be filled before 2026, one of the state’s Senate seats will almost certainly need to be.
With Rubio expected to be confirmed to be secretary of State, speculation has mounted around whom DeSantis will appoint to fill the seat until 2026. A number of names were initially floated, including Nuñez, state Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) and DeSantis’s chief of staff, James Uthmeier.
However, the president-elect’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, has said she would “seriously consider” serving as senator if appointed and further stoked speculation after she stepped down as Republican National Committee co-chair this week.
Appointing Lara Trump to the Senate could be seen as a goodwill gesture from DeSantis to President-elect Trump, given their rocky relationship following the presidential primary. Some have also floated the scenario of DeSantis appointing Lara Trump if he were to be tapped for Defense secretary.
There is no indication DeSantis has made a decision on who will replace Rubio and has said the decision will likely be made by the beginning of January.
Rep. Byron Donalds
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) has been floated a 2026 Republican gubernatorial candidate. Prior to their nominations to the Trump administration, it was thought that a three-way GOP primary was forming among Donalds, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).
However, with Waltz’s appointment as Trump’s national security adviser and Gaetz withdrawing from the attorney general nominating process amid myriad sexual misconduct allegations, Donalds is considered by many Florida Republicans to be in a prime position ahead of 2026.
Of course, it is still possible Gaetz and other Republicans could launch bids, but Donalds, a close Trump ally, is seen as the safest pick at the moment.
Attorney General Ashley Moody
Moody has also been floated as a possible replacement for Rubio and is a Florida power player to watch.
Last month, Moody made headlines when she filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice after it told the state to temporarily pause its investigation into the second assassination attempt against Trump until the federal probe was wrapped. Moody said state officials were told to not interview witnesses and that their role was to cooperate with the federal investigation.
Additionally, Moody could potentially see her own profile rise as an attorney general of a red state during the Trump administration, particularly on the issue of immigration and the president-elect’s plans for mass deportations.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how attorneys general use this new leverage with the administration,” Florida-based GOP strategist Ford O’Connell said.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz
Florida Democrats have experienced a slew of losses in recent election cycles as the state has leaned more Republican.
But Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz (Fla.) has successfully boosted his profile in Congress and is now being floated as a Democratic gubernatorial contender ahead of 2026.
Moskowitz has a bipartisan record on and off Capitol Hill. Earlier this month, he became the first Democrat to join the Republican-led Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus. Moskowitz was appointed by DeSantis in 2018 to be the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Moskowitz’s bipartisan record could appeal to a broader swath of voters in a statewide race down the line.
