Who is Ashley Moody? DeSantis’s MAGA pick to fill Rubio’s Senate seat

Conservative attorney general has advocated for many of Trump’s policies – especially on immigration

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has tapped Ashley Moody, the state’s attorney general and a Trump loyalist, to replace outgoing senator Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate.

Touting her record for opposing affirmative action, Covid-19 protocols, gender-affirming care for minors, environmental protection regulations, loose immigration policies and more, DeSantis introduced Moody on Thursday as the Florida senator nominee who will “deliver” results.

Moody, 49, is a staunch conservative who has become closely aligned with DeSantis and President-elect Donald Trump in the five years she’s served as attorney general.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has championed many of Donald Trump’s policies – especially on immigration (REUTERS)

Her proximity to the two has made her a frontrunner to replace Rubio as a senator from Florida since Trump nominated Rubio to serve as Secretary of State.

Here’s what to know about Moody.

Who is Ashley Moody?

Moody is a Florida native who started her career as an attorney in commercial litigation before being appointed as an assistant attorney for the Middle District of Florida.

She has family roots in the legal world as her father, James Moody Jr., was also a judge for the Middle District of Florida.

Moody was a registered Democrat until 1998 when she switched her party to Republican.

In 2006, at the age of 31, Moody was elected to serve as a circuit court judge in Hillsborough County – making her the youngest in the state.

Moody, pictured alongside DeSantis, at a press conference in 2021. The two have worked closely together since rising to prominence in the state (AP)

She ran for state attorney general in 2018 to replace Pam Bondi – Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney general. Both Moody and DeSantis won their respective elections in 2019 and were re-elected in 2022.

Moody is married and has two sons.

What has Moody done?

Nearly all of Moody’s legal pursuits are aligned with Trump’s policies. She even joined a Supreme Court lawsuit in 2020 to invalidate election results in several states where Biden won.

Politico once called her “one of Donald Trump’s biggest surrogates”.

She supported Trump’s attempts to have the Affordable Care Act repealed and championed his hard-line immigration and border policies – a must-have for an incoming GOP senator.

She’s filed, or supported, countless lawsuits against the Biden administration including its rules on gender-affirming care for minors, restrictions on cruise ships operating during the pandemic, requirements for gun sellers, regulations on carbon emissions and more.

In 2018, Moody asked the FBI to investigate Michael Bloomberg and other high-profile people who raised millions to pay off court fees for 32,000 people convicted of felonies in order to restore their voting rights.

In 2019, Moody opposed a constitutional amendment that would ban most semiautomatic rifles. The National Rifle Association gave her an “A” rating in 2022.

“I will bring the same persistence and passion and tenacity as a United States Senator that I have bright as Florida’s attorney general,” Moody said on Thursday.

She told reporters she doesn’t think of her work as a job but “as a calling.”

Why is she being appointed senator?

Moody is being appointed because Rubio has been nominated to serve as Secretary of State. Governors may appointe senators to serve in vacancies until the next statewide election. Moody will be in Rubio’s seat for two years since the state has an election in 2026 – she could then be re-elected to serve until 2028 or someone else may replace her.

DeSantis named his chief of staff, James Uthmeier, to replace Moody as state attorney general but will have to wait until Moody takes office in Washington.