The Florida attorney general will serve as U.S. senator until the next general election in 2026 when the seat returns to the ballot.

Moody, a Republican from Plant City who was in her second term as Attorney General when Gov. Ron DeSantis picked her to replace Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is on five panels, where her previous roles will inform her legislative work. Her experience as a jurist will surely come into play on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

Fittingly, U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody cast her first vote as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of Pam Bondi for U.S. Attorney General. Bondi was Moody’s predecessor as Florida’s Attorney General.

Moody, an ally of the governor, said she looked forward to carrying out the Trump agenda.

Republican Ashley Moody has been sworn in as Florida’s junior U.S. Senator. She took office a day after former U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s confirmation as Secretary of State. Vice President JD Vance administered the oath of office to Moody and new Ohio U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, who fills the seat just vacated by Vance.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced he is replacing Marco Rubio in the Senate with the state's attorney general, Ashley Moody.

Vice President J.D. Vance swore in the former Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody as a new senator ... will build on that success in the United States Senate. I look forward to working closely ...

“I believe that we have done that, and I think we have to take that same direction to the United States Senate ... for transgender children. “Ashley Moody has been Ron’s personal lapdog ...

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks at a news conference, Jan. 26, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta ...

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With Democrats opposed and some Republican votes wavering, the committee could employ unusual maneuvers to advance Trump’s controversial pick for director of national intelligence.

U.S. Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL), one of the newest members of the Senate, has secured influential committee assignments that will position her to advance President Donald Trump’s nominees and legislative priorities.