If Trump selects Rubio as Secretary of State, DeSantis would gain the power to appoint a temporary Senate replacement.

Along with naming the first female White House chief of staff in history, Trump has also announced that he will name Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State. Obviously with Rubio leaving the Senate to take a position in Trump’s cabinet, that leaves an open seat for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to name a replacement.

Rubio, in his third term in the U.S. Senate, has been steeped in intelligence matters and promises a pro-active posture regarding threats from China, Russia, Iran, and their allies. He was short listed for Vice President, but ultimately the hurdle of having two members of the ticket from the same state seemed to be a deal breaker for Trump.