Ashley Moody

• James S. Moody Jr. (father)

Ashley Moody
Moody in 2025
United States Senator from Florida
Incumbent
Assumed office January 21, 2025 Servingwith Rick Scott
Education	University of Florida (BS, MS, JD) Stetson University (LLM)
Signature
Website	Senate website

Ashley Brooke Moody (born March 28, 1975) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving since 2025 as the junior United States senator from Florida. A member of the Republican Party, she served from 2019 to 2025 as the 38th Florida attorney general, from 2007 to 2017 as a circuit court judge in Hillsborough County, and before that as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Florida.

As Florida attorney general, Moody supported lawsuits to invalidate the Affordable Care Act, advocated against restoration of voting rights for former felons, and opposed the legalization of recreational marijuana. She supported then-President Donald Trump in Florida during the 2020 presidential election, and joined in the Texas v. Pennsylvania lawsuit, which sought to contest the results of the election.

In January 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he would appoint Moody to the U.S. Senate to succeed Marco Rubio, who became United States Secretary of State on January 21, 2025.

Early life and education

Moody was born in Plant City, Florida, on March 28, 1975. ^[1] She is the oldest of three children born to Carol and Judge James S. Moody Jr. ^[2]

Moody graduated from Plant City High School in 1993. ^[3] She received a bachelor's degree and master's degree in accounting from University of Florida. While attending the University of Florida, she served as president of Florida Blue Key. ^[4] Moody earned a Master of Laws in international law from Stetson University College of Law, and her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida School of Law. ^[5]

Early career

Moody interned for Martha Barnett, the president of the American Bar Association, ^[2] and later joined the law firm Holland & Knight, working in civil litigation. ^[6]

In January 1998, Moody switched her party affiliation from Democratic to Republican. Upon his election, Florida governor Jeb Bush appointed her to be the student representative on the Board of Regents, a now-defunct body that ran the state's university system. ^[1]

Moody was appointed an assistant U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida. ^[6] In 2006, she was elected to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Hillsborough County. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

Attorney General of Florida

Elections

On April 28, 2017, Moody resigned from the court to run for Florida attorney general in the 2018 election. ^{[10] [11]} In the Republican primary, she defeated state representative Frank White. ^{[12] [13]} In the general election, Moody defeated Democratic nominee Sean Shaw, a state representative, with 52% of the vote to Shaw's 46%. ^[14]

Moody was reelected in the 2022 election over Democratic nominee Aramis Ayala by a 21-point margin. ^{[15] [16]}

Tenure

Moody's official portrait as Attorney General, 2019

Florida Cabinet meeting, May 2019

Health care

Moody kept Florida in a lawsuit that seeks to have the Affordable Care Act deemed unconstitutional. ^{[17] [18]}

Marijuana

Moody argued for the disqualification of a 2022 ballot measure to legalize recreational cannabis in Florida, contending that it was misleading because the summary (which could not be longer than 75 words) did not clarify that cannabis would remain illegal under federal law. ^{[19] [20]} The Supreme Court of Florida agreed in a 5–2 ruling, effectively killing the initiative, which had already received 556,049 signatures of 891,589 required to appear on the ballot. ^{[21] [22]} Two months later, the court granted Moody's request that a second ballot measure to legalize recreational cannabis be disqualified from the 2022 ballot, in another 5–2 ruling that deemed the measure "affirmatively misleading". ^{[23] [24]}

In June 2023, Moody argued for the disqualification of a 2024 ballot measure to legalize recreational cannabis in Florida, filing a 49-page legal brief that asserted once again that the summary failed to make clear that cannabis would remain illegal under federal law, among other arguments. ^[25] The challenge sought to strike down the initiative, which had received 967,528 of a required 891,523 valid signatures to appear on the ballot. ^[26] The Florida Supreme Court ruled 5–2 that the initiative would remain on the ballot. ^{[27] [28]}

Moody with Senator Rick Scott, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, and Congresswoman Laurel Lee in the Hillsborough County, Florida Emergency Operations Center, responding to Hurricane Milton

Voting rights

Moody opposed the restoration of voting rights for former felons. ^[29] After the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative passed in 2018, she and Governor Ron DeSantis helped push a bill through the Florida Senate that would restore voting rights to eligible felons only once the felons had paid all their court fees. In 2020, after Michael Bloomberg raised $16 million to pay 32,000 felons' court fees, which would make them eligible to vote in the 2020 elections, Moody asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate Bloomberg, claiming he potentially violated election laws. ^[30]

2020 presidential election

During the 2020 presidential election, Politico called Moody "one of Donald Trump's biggest surrogates" in Florida. ^[4] After Joe Biden won the election and Trump refused to concede, Moody took a leading role in aiding Trump's attempts to contest the election. ^[31]

On December 9, 2020, Moody and 15 other state attorneys general announced their support for a lawsuit by Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, asking the Supreme Court of the United States to invalidate the presidential election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, which were all won by Biden. ^[32] There was no evidence of large-scale fraud in the election, ^{[33] [34]} and the court decided 7-2 not to hear the Texas lawsuit. ^{[35] [36]}

Moody was on the board of directors for the Rule of Law Defense Fund. In January 2021, the organization encouraged the gathering at the Capitol building to call for a halt on the counting of the Electoral College ballots, which they contended were fraudulent. After the pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, Moody removed any references to the Rule of Law Defense Fund from her online biography. ^[31]

COVID-19 pandemic

In 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Moody sued the federal government and the CDC for instituting requirements that cruise ships require 95% of passengers to be fully vaccinated. ^{[37] [38]}

Abortion rights initiative

In January 2024, Moody petitioned the Florida Supreme Court to disqualify a ballot measure to expand abortion access, claiming its language could mislead voters. ^[39] The measure remained on the ballot but failed to garner the necessary 60% of the vote to amend the Florida Constitution. ^[40]

U.S. Senate

Appointment

On January 16, 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis announced his intention to appoint Moody to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio, pending his confirmation by the Senate as Secretary of State in the second Trump administration. ^{[41] [42]} She is Florida's second female senator, after Paula Hawkins. ^[43]

Moody speaking after being appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis, January 16, 2025

Senate tenure

Moody with fellow Florida senator Rick Scott, January 2025

Moody was sworn in on January 21, 2025, along with former Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, by Vice President JD Vance. She was escorted by fellow Florida Senator Rick Scott. ^[44]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
• Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
• Committee on the Judiciary
• Joint Economic Committee
• Senate Special Committee on Aging

Personal life

Moody is married to Justin Duralia, a Drug Enforcement Administration officer. ^[6] They have two children. ^[45]

Electoral history

2006 Thirteenth Judicial Court of Florida election, Non-partisan primary ^[46]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Ashley Moody	41,522	39.08%	N/A
	Democratic	Gary Dolgin	33,675	31.70%	N/A
	Independent	Pat Courtney	31,042	29.22%	N/A
Majority			7,847	7.38%	N/A
Turnout			106,239

2006 Thirteenth Judicial Court of Florida election, General election ^[47]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Ashley Moody	142,610	60.31%	N/A
	Democratic	Gary Dolgin	93,854	39.69%	N/A
Majority			48,756	20.62%	N/A
Turnout			236,464

2018 Florida Attorney General election, Republican primary ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Ashley Moody	882,028	56.80%	N/A
	Republican	Frank White	670,823	43.20%	N/A
Majority			211,205	13.60%	N/A
Turnout			1,552,851

2018 Florida Attorney General election, General election ^[49]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Ashley Moody	4,232,532	52.11%	−2.96%
	Democratic	Sean Shaw	3,744,912	46.10%	+4.09%
	Independent	Jeffrey Marc Siskind	145,296	1.79%	N/A
Majority			487,620	6.01%	−7.07%
Turnout			8,122,740
	Republican hold

2022 Florida Attorney General election, General election ^[50]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Ashley Moody (incumbent)	4,651,279	60.59%	+8.48%
	Democratic	Aramis Ayala	3,025,943	39.41%	−6.69%
Total votes			7,677,222	100.0%
	Republican hold

References

1. March, William (October 9, 2018). "Family tradition drives Ashley Moody in attorney general's race". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved March 15, 2019.
2. March, William (October 12, 2018). "Ashley Moody hopes to succeed Pam Bondi as attorney general". Miami Herald . Retrieved October 23, 2018.
3. "Campus notes" . The Tampa Tribune . June 19, 1999. p. 6. Retrieved March 15, 2019– via Newspapers.com.
4. Fineout, Gary (October 27, 2020). "Florida's top prosecutor once sued Trump. Now she's fighting for his reelection". Politico . Retrieved December 10, 2020.
5. "Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Administrative Office of the Courts > Judicial Directory > Ashley B. Moody > Profile". July 11, 2017. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
6. Henderson, John (July 6, 2018). "A conversation with AG candidate Ashley Moody". Panama City News Herald . Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
7. "Judicial Directory: Profile: Ashley B. Moody". Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Hillsborough County. Archived from the original on June 6, 2016.
8. "Ashley B. Moody". Ballotpedia . Retrieved December 23, 2023.
9. "Governor Scott Appoints Judge Jennifer X. Gabbard to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court". Conference of County Court Judges of Florida. August 13, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
10. "Carlton: Judge abruptly quits — and is something big to come?". Tampa Bay Times . April 5, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
11. "Former Hillsborough Judge Ashley Moody files to run for Florida Attorney General". Tampa Bay Times. June 2, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
12. "Former Hillsborough judge Ashley Moody wins Republican nomination in attorney general race". WTSP. August 29, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
13. "GOP candidate for Florida AG wasn't a "lifelong Democrat"". PolitiFact . Retrieved March 15, 2019.
14. "Ashley Moody elected Florida's attorney general". WCTV. Associated Press. November 7, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
15. "FLORIDA". State AG Report. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
16. "Moody defeats Ayala in race for attorney general". WFTV. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
17. "Democratic lawmakers harangue Ashley Moody for Affordable Care Act challenge". Florida Politics. May 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
18. "Florida Groups Fear Loss of Health Insurance Ahead Of Arguments In ACA Lawsuit". Health News Florida. October 30, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
19. Gancarski, A.G. (December 20, 2019). "Ashley Moody argues against pot legalization initiative". Florida Politics. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
20. Wilson, Kirby (April 22, 2021). "Florida marijuana legalization dealt blow by Florida Supreme Court". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
21. Stern, Mark Joseph (April 22, 2021). "The Florida Supreme Court Won't Let Voters Legalize Recreational Marijuana". Slate . Retrieved August 5, 2023.
22. Jaeger, Kyle (April 22, 2021). "Florida Supreme Court Kills 2022 Marijuana Legalization Initiative That Hundreds Of Thousands Had Signed". Marijuana Moment. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
23. Wilson, Kirby (June 17, 2021). "Florida Supreme Court issues another defeat to marijuana legalization". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
24. Moline, Michael (June 17, 2021). "FL Supreme Court blocks a second pro-pot citizens initiative from the 2022 ballot". Florida Phoenix. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
25. Kam, Dara (June 27, 2023). "Florida's attorney general says recreational marijuana amendment is 'misleading to voters'". Orlando Weekly. News Service of Florida. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
26. Jaeger, Kyle (June 27, 2023). "Florida Attorney General Argues That Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure Misleads Voters In Brief To Supreme Court". Marijuana Moment. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
27. Sarkissian, Arek (April 1, 2024). "Florida Supreme Court approves ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana". Politico. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
28. Wilson, Kirby; Ellenbogen, Romy (April 1, 2024). "Recreational weed will be on Florida's 2024 ballot, Supreme Court rules". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
29. Knowles, Summer (November 1, 2018). "Amendment 4: Restores felons' rights". WESH. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
30. Moreno, Edward (September 23, 2020). "Florida attorney general scrutinizing Bloomberg paying fines for felons to vote". The Hill . Retrieved September 24, 2020.
31. "Florida's Ashley Moody worked with group linked to Capitol insurrection". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
32. Man, Anthony (December 9, 2020). "Florida joins Texas in seeking to overturn election results, in support of President Trump". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
33. Pazniokas, Mark (December 13, 2020). "Voter fraud is real, just not on the scale claimed by Trump". The Connecticut Mirror.
34. "News Wrap: AG Barr says no evidence of large-scale election fraud". PBS NewsHour . December 1, 2020.
35. Ogles, Jacob (December 9, 2020). "Ashley Moody files brief supporting Texas suit seeking to invalidate election results". Florida Politics . Retrieved December 10, 2020.
36. Matthews, Chris (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court declines to hear Texas case, ending Trump's effort to overturn election". MarketWatch . Retrieved December 14, 2020.
37. "Ashley Moody defends 'essential' vaccine passport suit against CDC". Florida Politics . June 14, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
38. "Florida fires back in Norwegian Cruise's challenge to vaccine 'passport' ban". Tampa Bay Times. July 28, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
39. More than 200 Republicans have donated to get abortion on Florida ballots, Tampa Bay Times , Ivy Nyayieka, January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
40. Florida Amendment 4, Right to Abortion Initiative (2024), Ballotpedia .
41. Caputo, Marc (January 16, 2025). "DeSantis picks Florida AG Ashley Moody to fill Rubio's Senate seat". Axios . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
42. Dixon, Matt (January 16, 2025). "Ron DeSantis picks Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill Marco Rubio's Senate seat". NBC News . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
43. "How Ashley Moody's deep roots shaped the future of Florida's next U.S. senator". Miami Herald . January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
44. "Senate back up to full membership after vice president swears in 2 appointed senators". CNN. January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
45. "Florida Attorney General – Attorney General Ashley Moody Bio". www.myfloridalegal.com. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
46. "Hillsborough County 2006 Primary Election" (PDF). Vote Hillsborough. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
47. "Hillsborough County 2006 General Election" (PDF). Vote Hillsborough. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
48. "August 28, 2018 Primary Election Republican Primary". Florida Department of State. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
49. "November 6, 2018 General Election". Florida Department of State. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
50. "2022 General Election – Official Results: Attorney General". Florida Election Watch.

External links

• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Party political offices
Preceded by Pam Bondi	Republican nominee for Attorney General of Florida 2018, 2022	Most recent
Legal offices
Preceded by Pam Bondi	Attorney General of Florida 2019–2025	Succeeded by John Guard Acting
U.S. Senate
Preceded by Marco Rubio	U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Florida 2025–present Served alongside: Rick Scott	Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Jon Husted	Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator	Succeeded by Matt Meyer as Governor of Delaware
	United States senators by seniority 100th	Last