Fast Five: Gov. DeSantis Appoints AG Ashley Moody; Gov. DeWine Appoints Lt. Gov. Jon Husted; Presidential Inauguration

Providing you with a recap of this week’s top five news items and resources straight from our experts.??

Gov. DeSantis Appoints AG Ashley Moody ?

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) chose state Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) to replace Secretary of State Marco Rubio as one of Florida’s two United States Senators. She took the Oath of Office on January 21st, soon after Mr. Rubio was confirmed to his national position and resigned from the Senate.??

Sen. Moody must now run to fill the balance of the term in the 2026 election and will again be on the ballot in 2028 when her Class III Senate seat again comes in-cycle for a full six-year term.?

Gov. DeWine Appoints Lt. Gov. Jon Husted ?

Governor Mike DeWine (R) selected Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (R) to replace Vice President J.D. Vance (R) as one of Ohio’s US Senators. Like new Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL) who replaced Marco Rubio, Sen. Husted took the Oath of Office on January 21st. Sen. Husted also must run to fill the balance of the term in 2026, and then again in 2028 for a full six-year term since this seat, too, is in the Third Class of Senate cycles.?

Presidential Inauguration ?

The Inauguration of President Donald J. Trump occurred as scheduled at 12:01 pm on January 20th. Mr. Trump became the 47th President of the United States, and the second man in history to lose re-election only to return four years later to recapture the office. In 1892, President Grover Cleveland, who was the 22nd President but defeated for re-election in 1888, returned to the office and became the 24th President. Mr. Trump will be ineligible to run in 2028, thus paving the way for open nomination fights in both parties.?

Sen. Marsha Blackburn Ahead in Gov Poll?

A new Fabrizio Lee survey of Tennessee Republican primary voters suggests that Sen. Marsha Blackburn is off to a fast start in what appears to be a budding campaign for Governor. According to the Fabrizio Lee data (1/13-16; 800 TN likely Republican primary voters; live interview and text), Sen. Blackburn would outpace US Rep. John Rose (R-Cookeville) by a whopping 71-13% margin. The ballot test margin grows even larger if President Trump would endorse Ms. Blackburn. The spread then becomes 78-11%. Sen. Blackburn’s favorability index within this Republican voter sample is an overwhelming 82:12 favorable to unfavorable. ?

No one has officially announced their candidacies, but Rep. Rose appeared almost certain to do so until Sen. Blackburn began sending signals that she is interested in running for Governor. With polling data such as this, it is probable that Sen. Blackburn will face little in the way of primary opposition in the open Governor’s race; and, clinching the Republican nomination, she would become the prohibitive favorite to secure the general election. ?

Gov. Bill Lee (R) is ineligible to seek a third term. Should Sen. Blackburn run and win the Governorship, she would be able to appoint her own successor to the Senate.?

Patriots Owner’s Son Will Announce for Boston Mayor?

The fledgling Boston mayoral campaign of Josh Kraft (D) continues to move forward, and it appears he will soon announce his challenge to incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu (D). Mr. Kraft is the son of Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots National Football League club. ?

Josh Kraft is the president of the Kraft Family Philanthropies and the board chairman of the National Urban League’s Eastern Massachusetts chapter. It is clear that Mr. Kraft will have plenty of money to compete in the citywide race. Whether he can unseat Mayor Wu is an early point of contention, but he will be capable of running a competitive campaign.?

A friendly reminder: We've done our research, but you should, too! Check reliable sources for the most up to date information.??

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