Rick Scott backs Lara Trump for Rubio's Senate seat
Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is publicly backing President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, Republican Nation Committee co-chair Lara Trump, to replace Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has been tapped to be the next secretary of State.
“[Lara Trump] would be a GREAT Senator and represent Floridians well!” Scott said on the social platform X, reposting an Axios story, in which he affirmed his support for the RNC co-chair.
“I hope that’s exactly who [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis picks,” Scott told the outlet.
Earlier in the day, Scott posted a picture of Lara Trump on X with the caption “RT if you think [Lara Trump] should be Florida’s next Senator!”
Scott’s support comes as the chorus of Trump allies and Republicans pushing for Lara Trump to fill the position has grown louder.
“I would love to have her as a colleague,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Fox News’s Sean Hannity on Wednesday. “That’ll be up to Gov. DeSantis, but we could not do better on the Republican side than Lara Trump.”
Alabama Sen. Katie Britt (R) publicly floated Lara Trump’s name earlier this week before Rubio was officially nominated to the post by Trump. And on Tuesday, Maye Musk posted on X that Lara Trump should be Rubio’s replacement and called the upper chamber “an old man’s club.” Elon Musk reposted his mother’s post, writing that “Lara Trump is genuinely great.”
But the decision ultimately lies with DeSantis. A source familiar with the matter told The Hill earlier this week DeSantis’s chief of staff was favored for the position and that the other candidates include Florida’s lieutenant governor and attorney general. The source said the president-elect may push for his daughter-in-law, but they added “our governor has not gotten a call about appointing Lara.”
Lara Trump reacted to the news of being floated to replace Rubio during an interview with Hannity on Wednesday.
“If I am able to serve, I would love to serve the people of Florida,” Lara Trump said. “This is my home state now, and it has been for three years. This is where Eric [Trump] and I live, and truly to have that opportunity, I think would be incredible.”