Florida’s Republican governor has named a replacement for Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) ahead of his likely confirmation as U.S. Secretary of State. Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday that he would be appointing the Sunshine State’s current attorney general, Republican Ashley Moody, to fill the U.S. Senate seat soon to be vacated by Rubio.

“These are always significant appointments, but I think right now appointments like these are more significant than ever. This is a time for action and a time for Washington, D.C. to deliver results,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Orlando. Referring to President-elect Donald Trump’s landslide election in November, DeSantis continued, “Republicans cannot squander this opportunity. We need a Congress — that means both the House and the Senate — that will rise to the occasion and make history. No more ‘business as usual’ in Washington, D.C.”

“In appointing a U.S. senator, I initially put out several different criteria,” the governor shared. Those criteria, he said, are:

“One, I want somebody that’s going to work with President Trump to deliver on the mandate he earned from the American people. I want a senator that’s going to be willing to lean in against the excessive spending, cut spending, and stop the inflation. I want somebody that understands that the federal bureaucracy has run amok but it must be held to account; we need three branches of government, not four branches of government. We need somebody that understands the fight against illegal immigration, is willing to shut the border, and — and importantly — understands that any legal immigration into this country is putting Americans first. We can’t be bringing foreigners in to displace our own people in key positions.”

While DeSantis said that there were “a number of great candidates” across Florida, he finally settled on Moody due to her record. “The final criteria I used … was I wanted somebody who had a demonstrated record of delivering results on those important issues,” he said. DeSantis continued, “Talk is cheap. We need people that have demonstrated fidelity to these principles with their actions. So that is why today I’m proud to announce that I am selecting our Attorney General, Ashley Moody, to serve as our next U.S. senator.”

“I’m happy to say that we’ve had an attorney general who is somebody that has acted time and time again to support the values that we all share,” DeSantis said of Moody’s tenure in office. He continued, “Whether that’s illegal immigration, opioid and fentanyl crisis, human trafficking, she has stood strong time and time again, most recently in this past year, filing lawsuits and joining lawsuits to take on the weaponization of law enforcement that targeted then-candidate Donald Trump.” He added, “In every major battle we have had since I have been governor, she has been with us every step of the way. It’s not just talk, it’s results, and these results are very, very important. And she understands the gravity of the moment.”

Moody has served as Florida’s attorney general throughout DeSantis’s entire stint as governor, beginning in 2018. After working for Tampa-based law firm Holland and Knight in civil litigation for a time, Moody was appointed assistant U.S. attorney for the middle district of Florida and was then elected to the 13th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, becoming the youngest Florida judge at the age of 31. Twelve years later, she was elected as Florida’s attorney general, succeeding Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney general.

During her time in office, Moody distinguished herself as a stalwart conservative and defender of pro-life values. “I am pro-life, unabashedly so. I have been clear and open with Florida’s voters about where I stand on abortion, and I am honored to have received their support — by a large margin — in two statewide elections,” she said in a statement last year, as an amendment creating a constitutional “right” to abortion was on Florida’s ballot. Ever since the ballot initiative was introduced, Moody fought to condemn it. Ultimately, the amendment failed to pass in November. She has also joined other state attorneys general in combatting pro-abortion rules enacted by the Biden administration.

Upon being named the next U.S. senator representing Florida, Moody said, “I will not let you down, I will not let the citizens of Florida down, and I will not let my country down.” She continued, “I will bring the same persistence and passion and tenacity as a United States senator that I have brought as Florida’s attorney general.”

“You better believe, as a United States senator, I will work for you, those that stand on that thin line between chaos and order, between safety and crime. I have got your back … and we will all work to protect the American people and make all of our cities and states stronger and safer together,” she declared. Moody added, “And so I have one message right now to President Trump and to my new colleagues on the United States Senate: America first. Let’s get it done.”