Husted and Moody to replace Vance and Rubio in the Senate

Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted of Ohio will replace Vice President-elect J.D. Vance in the Senate, with Florida attorney general Ashley Moody set to take Marco Rubio’s place.

The imminent departures of Vance and Rubio from the Senate had led to a lot of speculation about their potential replacements. Theories included that Florida governor Ron DeSantis would appoint himself — or his wife — for Rubio’s role, with some suggesting that he was negotiating with President-elect Donald Trump to leave the governorship open for one of Trump’s family members in exchange for a cabinet role. While the theories were imaginative, reality proved duller.

Despite a last-minute reappearance from Vivek Ramaswamy, who had taken himself out of consideration for Vance’s seat, and who just announced his intention to run for governor of Ohio, the job was ultimately given to Lieutenant Governor Husted. 

Ohio governor Mike DeWine said at a news conference that when he mulled over whom to select for the seat, he wanted a “workhorse” and “someone who knew Ohio.” Husted, who previously served two terms as Ohio’s secretary of state and one as speaker in Ohio’s house chamber, qualifies as both.

“There were many people who I considered very qualified to serve in the United States Senate to represent the state of Ohio, but I came to the conclusion, as you see, that the person who is best suited to be the United States senator is a person who has been close to me for the last six years, a person who almost daily I work with. And that is Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted,” DeWine said. 

Down in Florida, with the president-elect’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump removing her name from contention last month, Governor Ron DeSantis has gone for his state’s attorney general, Ashley Moody. While DeSantis did talk with Representatives Kat Cammack and Cory Mills, he publicly claimed to be concerned about appointing a House member because of the GOP’s slim majority.

In plumping for Moody, like DeWine, DeSantis has made a traditional decision. While making a safe pick might have been part of the logic, by selecting the state’s attorney general, DeSantis can now make yet another high-profile pick, cementing his legacy — and placing more allies in high places. 

DeSantis has already indicated that James Uthmeier, his chief of staff, will replace Moody. Uthmeier was at one point tapped by DeSantis to replace his campaign manager during his 2024 run. He is one of DeSantis’s closest confidants. Additionally, with Jimmy Patronis, the state’s chief financial officer, preparing to run for Matt Gaetz’s old House seat, DeSantis has another ally to elevate. 

In the end, the appointments of Husted and Moody represent strong and conventional choices, prioritizing experience and loyalty over the intrigue that speculation suggested. Governors DeWine and DeSantis each leaned on trusted allies with proven track records. While the selections may lack the drama of earlier conjectures, they underscore how strategic governance has not ceased to exist in an era characterized by spectacle.