2026 United States Senate special election in Florida

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2026 United States Senate special election in Florida
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←  2022 November 3, 2026 2028  →
 
Party Republican Democratic
Incumbent U.S. senator

Ashley Moody [a]
Republican



The 2026 United States Senate special election in Florida is expected to be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Florida, to fill in the last two years of former Republican senator Marco Rubio’s term, who resigned his seat to become United States secretary of state under President Donald Trump's second administration. [1]

Contents

According to Florida law, if a U.S. Senate seat becomes vacant, the governor has authority to appoint a temporary replacement until the next general election. The appointee holds the position until the vacancy is filled by a special election during the next general election cycle, which, in this case, is scheduled for November 3, 2026. [2] Governor Ron DeSantis chose Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to replace Rubio in the Senate. [3]

This will be the first U.S. Senate special election in Florida since two elections in 1936.

Interim appointment

Appointee

Considered but not appointed

Declined to be considered

Republican primary

Candidates

Filed paperwork

Publicly expressed interest

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declined

General election

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
Inside Elections [13] Solid RJanuary 17, 2025
270toWin [14] Likely RJanuary 9, 2025

Notes

  1. ↑ Marco Rubio, the three-term senator of Florida, was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the United States Secretary of State in his second cabinet. On January 20, 2025, he was confirmed by the Senate as Secretary of State and subsequently resigned his seat. Governor Ron DeSantis has chosen Ashley Moody to replace him.

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References

  1. ↑ Beggin, Riley. "Trump taps Marco Rubio for Secretary of State". USA TODAY . Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Chapter 100 Section 161 - 2024 Florida Statutes". m.flsenate.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Dixon, Matt (January 16, 2025). "Ron DeSantis picks Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill Rubio's Senate seat". NBC News . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  4. ↑ Gancarski, A.G. (January 11, 2025). "'Absolutely not': Gov. DeSantis says he won't appoint himself to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate". Florida Politics . Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Lara Trump removes herself from consideration for Florida Senate, ending speculation". The Associated Press . December 22, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024– via WPDE-TV.
  6. ↑ "MOODY FOR FLORIDA - committee overview". FEC.gov. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  7. ↑ Heddles, Claire (January 13, 2025). "Two of Florida's Congressional Republicans Are Publicly Angling for a Senate Seat". Florida Politics . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  8. ↑ Jones, Kipp (December 22, 2024). "Matt Gaetz Floats Senate Run While Calling Out GOP Lawmakers Who Opposed Him for AG". Mediaite . Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  9. ↑ Ogles, Jacob (January 11, 2025). "Cory Mills plans to run for U.S. Senate in 2026 anyway — even if he isn't appointed". Florida Politics . Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  10. ↑ Manchester, Julia (January 16, 2025). "Who is Ashley Moody, Rubio's replacement in the Senate?". The Hill . Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  11. ↑ Solender, Andrew (November 27, 2024). "Scoop: A huge wave of House members is eyeing runs for other offices in 2026". Axios. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  12. ↑ Adragna, Anthony (December 17, 2024). "Moskowitz brushes aside FEMA reports". Politico . Retrieved December 17, 2024. 'I am staying in Congress and running for re-election,' Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said
  13. ↑ "Senate Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  14. ↑ "2026 Senate Interactive Map". 270toWin. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
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