Of seats affected in the House, Trump announced House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) would be his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in his second administration and that Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) would be his national security adviser, which will leave at least two vacancies in the House. In the Senate, Trump is expected to ask Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who was reelected in 2022, to serve as secretary of state.

To replace Waltz in Florida, the Constitution requires that vacancies in the House be filled through an election. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) does not have appointment powers here. Per state law, he will schedule a special election in the coming weeks.

Florida state law gives DeSantis the authorization to appoint someone to fill a senator’s vacated seat. He will appoint someone who could remain in the role until at least 2026, which is when a special election to finish the final two years of Rubio’s term would be held. There would be a regularly scheduled election in 2028 for a full term in the Senate.

Two people close to DeSantis told Politico that he would likely look to Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, former Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva, or DeSantis’s chief of staff James Uthmeier as possible replacements.

DeSantis hasn’t indicated who he might select as an interim senator. He could appoint himself, as there have been mumblings that he would be interested in running in 2028 anyway. His term as governor ends in 2026, and he is term-limited.

There is one scenario in which DeSantis could work with Nunez to resign as governor, which would allow her to ascend to becoming governor and appoint him directly to the Senate seat, which would bypass DeSantis’s need to wait to run.

Trump also tapped Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) to serve as his secretary of homeland security. In this case, Noem will be replaced by South Dakota Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden after she vacates the governorship.

Republicans’ expected House majority, now set to lose two seats, would tighten even further until these seats are filled in special elections. Stefanik and Waltz are in comfortably red districts. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) have said they believe Trump will not tap any other House Republicans for his administration. 

Johnson is also asking his GOP colleagues to vote for him to be speaker again in the 119th Congress. Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek that “Trump’s appointments, coupled with the loss of two House Republicans, could indeed create significant challenges for Speaker Mike Johnson.” 

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) will need to call a special election within 10 days after Stefanik vacates her seat, with an election required to happen within 70 to 80 days after that.