FLORIDA Governor Ron DeSantis has tapped state Attorney General Ashley Moody to take Marco Rubio’s seat in the US Senate.

Rubio was nominated by Donald Trump to serve as his secretary of state in his incoming administration following the president-elect’s Election Day victory.

DeSantis said his choice for senator had to fill in certain criterias, including aligning with and helping President-elect Trump deliver his campaign promises, cut federal spending, and clamp down on illegal immigration.

“This is something that I thought about long and hard. We did a lot of research, we got a number of great candidates throughout the state of Florida and many of them, I think, could have done a great job,” the governor said on Thursday.

“I wanted somebody with a demonstrated record of delivering results.

“So, that is why today, I am proud to announce that I am selecting our Attorney General Ashley Moody to serve as our next US senator.

“Many of you know her… She has stood strong, time and time again,” DeSantis added as he went over Moody’s list of accomplishments during her time in public office.

Moody, 49, won her first election to become Florida‘s attorney general in 2018, and easily won her re-election bid in 2022.

“I will not let the citizen of Florida down, and I will not let my country down,” Moody, a fifth-generation Floridian, said.

“America first, let’s get it done.”