After one week of the end of the U.S. election, President-elect Trump has nominated more than ten cabinet members, with three of them being congressmen from Florida. Trump’s reliance on political figures from Florida presents both opportunities and challenges for the state’s political landscape.
On Wednesday, November 13, Trump nominated Florida Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. On the same day, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz was nominated as Attorney General. On Tuesday, November 12, Trump invited Republican Congressman Mike Waltz from Florida to serve as National Security Advisor.
If Trump’s nominated cabinet members are successfully confirmed, their vacant seats urgently need to be filled, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis playing a key role in the process.
Filling vacant seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate follows different procedures under federal and state laws. To fill a vacant seat in the House, Florida must hold a special election where voters will directly choose their next representative.
In the case of the Senate, if Rubio is confirmed as Secretary of State, DeSantis will have the authority to appoint someone to fill Rubio’s seat. Rubio’s replacement will hold the seat until the midterm elections in 2026.
Waltz represents Florida’s 6th congressional district, south of Jacksonville. He has been re-elected three times and has not yet resigned, neither has Rubio.
At 42, Gaetz has long been one of Trump’s most loyal allies in Congress, and his nomination came as a surprise to many. Trump praised Gaetz as a “defender of the Constitution and the rule of law”.
On the day of his nomination, Gaetz resigned before his confirmation as Attorney General. House Speaker Mike Johnson explained that Gaetz resigned due to the unusually weak Republican control of the House, hoping to give DeSantis enough time to elect a Republican congressman.
However, Florida election experts noted that the logistical challenges of disclosing election information, mailing ballots to military and overseas voters, certifying primary results, and conducting a new round of elections after a busy presidential election cycle may take several months to complete. This could further weaken the fragile Republican majority in the early months of 2025.
State officials have not yet announced the date for a special election, despite expressing the desire to move quickly. The most recent special election to fill a vacancy in the U.S. House in Florida took 10 weeks from the primary to the general election.
In the Senate, if Rubio is confirmed, DeSantis will appoint a replacement. Potential candidates include Lara Trump, Janet Nuñez, Ashley Moody, and DeSantis himself.