Ashley Moody will quickly transfer from the Florida Cupboard to the U.S. Senate.
Moody, the state’s legal professional basic, is Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pick to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who’s poised to be the subsequent Secretary of State for President-elect Donald J. Trump.
DeSantis made the announcement in a Thursday information convention in Orlando.
The strikes are the most recent in a carousel of seat hopping amongst Florida Republicans as Trump leaned closely on Sunshine State hires to employees his incoming administration.
Moody, 49, who in 2019 grew to become the second girl to be Florida Lawyer Normal when she succeeded Pam Bondi, additionally would be the second girl to characterize Florida within the U.S. Senate. Paula Hawkins, a Republican, served one time period, from 1981 to 1987, however misplaced her reelection bid to Democrat Bob Graham.
A former federal prosecutor and state circuit courtroom choose, Moody has roots within the Florida authorized firmament. She graduated from College of Florida Faculty of Legislation in 2001. Her father, James Moody Jr., is a choose for the U.S. District Court docket for the Center District of Florida who was nominated by former President Invoice Clinton.
After graduating from legislation faculty, Moody joined the Holland & Knight agency earlier than working and profitable a judgeship on the thirteenth Circuit Court docket primarily based in Hillsborough in 2006. Her brother, James Moody III, was appointed as a choose to the identical courtroom by DeSantis in 2022.
In 2018 she resigned to run for Lawyer Normal, defeating former state Rep. Frank White, a Pensacola Republican, within the major and one other former state consultant, Democrat Sean Shaw of Tampa, within the basic election.
Moody has been a staunch ally of Trump, backing his authorized challenges to the certification of election ends in a handful of states in 2020 when he misplaced the election to Biden, as an illustration. The challenges have been rejected by the courts.
That file suggests she’ll be a dependable vote for Trump’s agenda within the Senate, taking a hardline on immigration enforcement – one in all DeSantis’ necessities in a Senate appointee.
When introduced with the upcoming Senate emptiness shortly after the election in November, DeSantis posted on X:
“Florida deserves a Senator who will assist President Trump ship on his election mandate, be robust on immigration and border safety, tackle the entrenched paperwork and administrative state, reverse the nation’s fiscal decline, be animated by conservative rules, and has a confirmed file of outcomes.”
It is a creating information story. Test again later for extra.
Grey Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Community-Florida Capital Bureau. He may be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Observe him on X: @GrayRohrer.
This text initially appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis names Ashley Moody as Marco Rubio replacement in US Senate
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