President-elect Donald Trump asks Sen. Marco Rubio to serve as Secretary of State, possibly leaving Gov. Ron DeSantis with a vacant senate seat to fill.

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Trump poised to name Marco Rubio as Secretary of State pick

President-elect Donald Trump’s administration is starting to take shape.

He has announced several picks to his national security team, and his next move might be to select Florida Senator Mario Rubio for Secretary of State.

Rubio is in his third term as U.S. senator representing Florida.

Florida's other U.S. senator, Rick Scott, is already congratulating Rubio on X, posting on Monday that Rubio: “will restore American leadership around the world, especially in Latin America, as he represents the United States with dignity and courage!"

CNN is reporting that Trump is expected to name Rubio to the post, but that could change because he was also seriously considering Ric Grenell, his former ambassador to Germany.

At the Republican National Convention, Rubio gave indications how he’d support Trump’s agenda, saying "There is absolutely nothing dangerous or anything divisive about putting Americans first."

Rubio, 53, has deep foreign policy experience as he sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee.

The nomination of Rubio could signal Trump’s interest in combatting China’s influence as the senator has supported bills seeking to curb that nation's political and economic power. 

DeSantis will be tasked with filling Rubio's empty senate seat

What happens to Rubio’s senate seat? Or Waltz’s spot in congress if they take jobs in the trump White House?

For Rubio, Gov. Ron DeSantis would appoint a temporary replacement. That person would serve in the senate until the next statewide election. That would be in 2026.

Then, that seat would be up for election again in 2028, when Rubio’s normal six-year term is supposed to expire.

As for Waltz, that’s not an office the governor can fill. Instead, there would be a special election in that district that will be planned after the office officially becomes vacant.