Key Florida Senate Race Has Been Called

Key Florida Senate Race Has Been Called

Florida Sen. Ashley Moody, the former state attorney general appointed to fill the vacancy left by Marco Rubio’s elevation to secretary of state, has emerged as a leading conservative voice in the U.S. Senate and a strong contender in the 2026 special election to keep the seat.

Moody easily defeated Chris Gleason, Neelam Perry, and Ernie Rivera, but the

race was widely regarded as noncompetitive. Moody has had “minimal opposition,” and current coverage treats her as the overwhelming favorite for the Republican nomination.

On January 16, 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he was selecting Moody to succeed Rubio, who resigned after his unanimous Senate confirmation as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state.

“Today I am proud to announce that I am selecting our attorney general, Ashley Moody, to serve as our next U.S. senator,” DeSantis said at an Orlando news conference. DeSantis praised her as a “law and order” leader ready to help Trump “secure and shut the border,” rein in inflation, and overhaul a federal bureaucracy “run amok.”