FL-SEN 2026: Moody v.?

[MargieCat]

Seems more likely now Lara Trump won't be picked. WaPo says DeSantis may defy Trump on that.

You think he goes with Jeanette Nunez?

I'd love to see that. More likely though it will be AG Ashley Noody I think so he can appoint his CoS James Uthmeier as AG giving him a Head Start for 2026.

What I find fascinating about Ashley Moody is that she comes from a prominent Democratic family.

Her dad is a senior judge appointed by Clinton.

I wonder if he is still a Democrat and at odds with his daughter or if he is in the GOP now. You never really know with judges.

[2016]

Seems more likely now Lara Trump won't be picked. WaPo says DeSantis may defy Trump on that.

You think he goes with Jeanette Nunez?

I'd love to see that. More likely though it will be AG Ashley Noody I think so he can appoint his CoS James Uthmeier as AG giving him a Head Start for 2026.

What I find fascinating about Ashley Moody is that she comes from a prominent Democratic family.

Her dad is a senior judge appointed by Clinton.

I wonder if he is still a Democrat and at odds with his daughter or if he is in the GOP now. You never really know with judges.

Ashley Moody has done a tremendously good job as Floridas State AG and would be well qualified to be appointed to the Senate. She was also a Judge in Tallahassee on a Circuit Court before running as AG of Florida in 2018. Nunez was a State Rep before DeSantis picked her as Running Mate so she knows Legislative Business as well. I hope it will be either of those two.

In Comparision what has Lara Trump ever done for Florida? Absolutely nothing. Feels more like it that Trump wants to use his Daughter-in-Law to keep his name in the News after he leaves Office again.

I trust Ron DeSantis to make the right choice and not give in to Trump and his Social Media Influencers.

[JMT]

On the Democratic side: This presumably takes her out of the running for Governor or Senate:

https://twitter.com/annaforflorida/status/1868639709024665684?s=46&t=-r8JGlJ...

[JMT]

Seems more likely now Lara Trump won't be picked. WaPo says DeSantis may defy Trump on that.

You think he goes with Jeanette Nunez?

I'd love to see that. More likely though it will be AG Ashley Noody I think so he can appoint his CoS James Uthmeier as AG giving him a Head Start for 2026.

I’m a bit surprised that DeSantis doesn’t appear to be interested in the Senate seat himself, especially since he previously ran for Senate in 2016 before Rubio re-joined the race. I had thought he’d appoint a placeholder and run for the seat himself in 2026. But, recent reporting suggests that he isn’t interested.

Assuming he’s not interested himself, I think DeSantis appoints Ashley Moody. It sets up Moody nicely to run for the full term, and eliminates a potential opponent for his likely preferred successor as Governor (Jeanette Nuñez). It also allows DeSantis to appoint his COS as Attorney General.

[2016]

Seems more likely now Lara Trump won't be picked. WaPo says DeSantis may defy Trump on that.

You think he goes with Jeanette Nunez?

I'd love to see that. More likely though it will be AG Ashley Noody I think so he can appoint his CoS James Uthmeier as AG giving him a Head Start for 2026.

I’m a bit surprised that DeSantis doesn’t appear to be interested in the Senate seat himself, especially since he previously ran for Senate in 2016 before Rubio re-joined the race. I had thought he’d appoint a placeholder and run for the seat himself in 2026. But, recent reporting suggests that he isn’t interested.

Assuming he’s not interested himself, I think DeSantis appoints Ashley Moody. It sets up Moody nicely to run for the full term, and eliminates a potential opponent for his likely preferred successor as Governor (Jeanette Nuñez). It also allows DeSantis to appoint his COS as Attorney General.

DeSantis did not want to stay in Washington because of his young family (it's why he decided to run for Governor in 2018) and it has only grown over the last 8 years as his Wife Casey gave birth in 2019 to a 3rd Child (First Child Born inside the Tallahassee Governors Mansion in some 60 or 70 years I read). It's awfully difficult to go to Washington D.C. with 3 young kids in the tow.

Trump has given apparently up getting his Daughter-In-Law to the Senate
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/1868700558955024807

[2016]

Trump apparently wants Rep. Jared Moskowitz to lead FEMA.
https://twitter.com/scontorno/status/1868747275834695992

[Steve from Lambeth]

https://x.com/MarcACaputo/status/1864174964645003371

Makes perfect sense from Trump's POV tbh.

FL is now officially Maga Central and he may as well reward the state and its Republican officials accordingly.

Yes, appointing Lara would very clearly be nepotism, but who's to hold him accountable? He owns the Republican Party as much in his adopted home state as he does at the national level. There'd be a lot of grumbling but nobody serious would dare challenge her once appointed. And there's still the open gubernatorial primary that they could always run in if they're looking for a failed statewide primary campaign.

For Trump, owning the GOP is like owning any other business. Might as well utilize nepotism to his kids' advantage and land them good, well-paying jobs.

Re: DeSantis, yes, he openly challenged Trump for the nomination. Given that JD "Neo Nazi" Vance is his VP and Marco "Also-Ran" Rubio is SoS, there's a chance Trump might forgive and forget. But given that the latter two renounced anti-Trumpism and started bootlicking years ago, whereas DeSantis was literally running against Trump earlier this year, forgiving and especially forgetting may be harder.

Even then, though, it's IMO the perfect ploy for Trump to get DeSantis under his thumb. Rn DeSantis could very well go for Senate in 2026 and stay relevant that way. Now, if he's instead appointed Sec. of Defense, he'd have limited power of his own and Trump would literally be his boss. Trump could fire him (before or after the Senate election, doesn't really matter) and leave him as damaged goods - a la Jeff Sessions, who much unlike DeSantis was a D1 Trump loyalist through and through.

The fact that some of the most fire content on Our Secular Blog comes from someone who's never voted in an American election because they aren't old enough to vote yet is testament to the strength of our community

[JMT]

Moskowitz not taking FEMA job AND will run for reelection. Therefore, not running for Senate or Governor in 2026:

https://twitter.com/jaredemoskowitz/status/1869076798069469199?s=46&t=-r8JGl...

[2016]

Welp looks like AG Moody is getting an upgrade; and she'll be only the 2nd woman to represent FL in the US Senate after Paula Hawkins, who was also appointed.

https://floridianpress.com/2024/12/ashley-moody-emerging-as-desantiss-pick-to-replace-rubio/

DeSantis apparently backs Moody to run for Governor per this Article. That makes no sense.
Moody would be great as US Senator. However I will still be rooting for Super Lt. Governor Nunez to get picked. Replacing Rubio with another Cuban-Hispanic might be more fitting.

[2016]

BREAKING NEWS

Lara Trump has withdrawn her Name from consideration to be appointed to Marco Rubio's Senate Seat.

“I remain incredibly passionate about public service and look forward to serving our country again sometime in the future. In the meantime, I wish Governor DeSantis the best of luck with this appointment.”

“I do have a big announcement that I’m excited to share in January, so, stay tuned.”

Full Statement
https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump/status/1870600689287901423

[JMT]

https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1870873212839657784?s=46&t=-r8JGlJno4tbLknay...

[Zenobiyl]

https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1870873212839657784?s=46&t=-r8JGlJno4tbLknay...

Please do

[Roll Roons]

And this is how Democrats can win.

[Mr.Bakari-Sellers]

And this is how Democrats can win.

Lol TX and FL are safe R

[KakyoinMemeHouse]

https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1870873212839657784?s=46&t=-r8JGlJno4tbLknay...

We can win this one in that case.

[Mr.Bakari-Sellers]

No

[iceman]

https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1870873212839657784?s=46&t=-r8JGlJno4tbLknay...

We can win this one in that case.

I don’t like Gaetz but with you saying that, he’ll most likely win now. You have no credibility left whatsoever.

[Mr.Bakari-Sellers]

FL and TX are red states. The only seats that we can flip is NE, OH, NC and ME that's why it's not on my map

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1870873212839657784?s=46&t=-r8JGlJno4tbLknay...

We can win this one in that case.

I don’t like Gaetz but with you saying that, he’ll most likely win now. You have no credibility left whatsoever.

It's likely R at the most competitive with Gaetz. We're talking about f***ing Florida here!

[The '90s' Last Champion]

https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1870873212839657784?s=46&t=-r8JGlJno4tbLknay...

Good luck beating an incumbent, or a very strong coronated non-incumbent (if DeSantis picks a placeholder).

[2016]

https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1870873212839657784?s=46&t=-r8JGlJno4tbLknay...

Good luck beating an incumbent, or a very strong coronated non-incumbent (if DeSantis picks a placeholder).

Every indication we have is that DeSantis will pick either Moody or Nunez to replace Rubio. I agree with you "Good Luck to Gaetz then" because he literally has no chance beating either of them.
When was the last time a Republican running Statewide in Florida won over 60 % of the Vote before Ashley Moody did it in 2022? You have to go back to the 1980's in a Musterm. Moody even outpaced DeSantis in 2022.

[2016]

Longtime Florida Republican Political Operative Peter Schorsch is advocating for Governor DeSantis appointing himself to Rubios Senate Seat; Says Crist should have done that in 2010.

https://twitter.com/PeterSchorschFL/status/1873758339555033576

https://floridapolitics.com/archives/713443-ron-desantis-doesnt-need-a-time-traveling-sports-car-to-do-what-charlie-crist-wishes-he-would-have/

[2016]

From an Article published in Florida today

First, AG Moody would rather run for governor, and while she would probably accept the appointment, DeSantis we are told, wants someone to serve in Rubio’s seat for at least the next 8 years.

Second, Lt, Nunez, who is friends with Rubio and his family, is seen as a logical choice to replace the senior senator from Florida considering that she is also Cuban-American and hails from the Spanish-speaking Peoples Republic of Miami-Dade County.

But does she want to travel to Washington, D.C. every week and attempt to carry the heavily load Rubio has carried since 2011?

Yeah, I give it a good chance now it will be Nunez given her friendship with Rubio.

And if that happens the Democratic Party in Florida is completely done in 2026.

[JMT]

https://twitter.com/fineout/status/1876694155524526406?s=46&t=-r8JGlJno4tbLk...

[Flyersfan232]

i am proposing fuzzy to be the appointment