Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna didn't rule out being picked to replace Marco Rubio as U.S. Senator should he be confirmed to be President-elect Donald Trump's Secretary of State, even though Governor Ron DeSantis all but rejected the notion of appointing congresspeople.
Speaking to her former colleague Matt Gaetz in his OAN show, Luna was asked if she had met with DeSantis like Rep. Cory Mills had allegedly done. "I have not met with Gov. DeSantis and what I've heard from his camp is that he is hesitant about appointing a member of Congress, mainly because he says we have a very slim majority," she said.
"But as you know there are going to be special elections very soon to fill these vacancies left in the state of Florida. And who knows if Trump is going to be rapturing more of us to the White House. What I can tell you is that I'm focusing on representing Pinellas County, but I won't rule anything out in the future because you never know in this game and you know that," she added.
DeSantis said he will name the replacement of Rubio "very soon". He anticipated he will have "somebody ready to go" when Rubio resigns from his post after Trump's inauguration next week. And while he continued refusing to provide further details on the pick, he did anticipate it likely won't be a member of the U.S. House of Representatives due to its slim majority."
"I've been honest with the congresspeople, that's a big concern of mine, because one of the criteria I had with who I'm going to appoint is, we just had an election. President has a mandate. I want you to help facilitate that. I don't want you to be sand in the gears," DeSantis said during an address from the Florida Capitol this week.
The statement basically rules out Luna, as well as other MAGA allies whose names had been floated as potential picks, including Rep. Brian Mast and Rep. Cory Mills.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is reportedly the top pick for the post. Outlet Floridian Press quoted anonymous sources in Tallahassee back in mid-December saying she tops the list. The Washington Post also reported on her being first in line on Monday. Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez and Florida Chief of Staff James Uthmeier are other names in consideration.
Moody, a vocal defender of DeSantis and his policies has not spoken publicly about the possibility. Whoever ends up being appointed, they will serve until the 2026 election, when the governor's race will also take place.
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