Reps. Cory Mills (R-FL) and Kat Cammack (R-FL) have spoken with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) about the position, for which the governor must appoint a replacement after Rubio steps down. Both Mills and Cammack have expressed interest in the position, with Cammack telling the Washington Examiner she found DeSantis’s comments about her candidacy “very generous.” 

“Just going off what the governor said about us this morning, he said that we’re good fighters, that he likes our record, that he respects our record, and so that I’ll leave it at that,” Cammack said on Monday, referring to comments in which DeSantis revealed that she and Mills were being considered for the position. 

Mills also responded to DeSantis’s comments, noting he “appreciated the positive feedback” to his and Cammack’s interviews. 

“While I feel I would add value and be better positioned to help [Trump’s] America First agenda, we will have to see what the Governor decides,” Mills said in a post on X. “Either way, it’s an honor to be considered for the Senate.”

However, DeSantis expressed concerns about choosing either Mills or Cammack due to Republicans’ slim majority in the House. 

Shortly after Trump takes office, the Senate is expected to confirm both Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mike Waltz (R-FL) to his administration, leaving the House makeup at just 217-215, meaning the GOP loses the majority if just one member votes with Democrats. By taking either Mills or Cammack to fill Rubio’s slot, it would further imperil the GOP’s control of the House.

“I’ve been honest with the congresspeople, that’s a big concern of mine because one of the criteria I had with who I’m going to appoint is, we just had an election. The president has a mandate. I want you to help facilitate that. I don’t want you to be sand in the gears,” DeSantis said on Monday. “But if you put someone there, and then it reduces the numbers in the House, and they make it harder for them to be able to enact an agenda.”

Mills acknowledged that concern in his statement and instead has left the door open to running for the seat when it opens again in 2026. 

However, Cammack suggested her placement in the Senate would not significantly alter Republicans’ power in the House, telling the Washington Examiner the math is not swayed whether her seat is filled or not. 

If Republicans hold 217 or 216 seats compared to 215, either scenario would leave Republicans a buffer of just one vote. As a result, Cammack noted, all Republicans would need to vote in favor of legislation for it to pass — regardless if she is there. 

“In a strange way, whether I am in the House or in the Senate, the math actually works out to mean that you would have to have every single Republican in lockstep, and that’s assuming that we take any major legislative pieces under consideration between now and April,” Cammack told the Washington Examiner. “Which at this point it’s looking like we’re aiming towards April for reconciliation, when those margins would actually matter.”

Cammack, however, did not comment on whether she would look at the seat in 2026 if she is not appointed by DeSantis this month, telling reporters it was “putting the cart before the horse.”

Meanwhile, DeSantis has reportedly viewed Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody as the top contender to replace Rubio. It’s not yet clear when Rubio will resign his seat, but his confirmation is expected to be one of the quickest to be approved by the Senate.