TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said he plans to elevate one of his closest allies, James Uthmeier, to be the state’s attorney general.
Uthmeier’s likely new role results from a political domino chain set off by President-elect Donald Trump nominating U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his secretary of state.
DeSantis on Thursday announced he is appointing Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill Rubio’s Senate seat, and said he expects to choose Uthmeier to backfill Moody’s job.
“My chief of staff James Uthmeier is kind of like Ashley. He’s proven himself in these fights, and I think he’s got big shoes to fill but I think he’ll do a good job doing that,” DeSantis said. “I’m not going to make the appointment before it’s available but I think that that’s something that will happen.”
If appointed, Uthmeier would serve as attorney general until the 2026 election.
Here’s what to know about him.
DeSantis, in his ultimately unsuccessful run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, faced poor polling and financial woes. So in August 2023, he tapped Uthmeier to replace his campaign manager.
Uthmeier took a leave of absence as DeSantis’ chief of staff to manage the campaign; when the campaign ended, he returned to his post in the governor’s office.
Uthmeier joined the governor’s office in March 2019 and has been DeSantis’ chief of staff since October 2021.
He started his career with the governor’s office as deputy general counsel, according to his LinkedIn, and was elevated to general counsel in October 2020.
As part of his work for the governor, Uthmeier directed the judicial nominations process, according to his self-provided biography on the Federalist Society website.
In Florida, judicial nominating commissions submit a handful of names to the governor, who has final say on whom to appoint as a new judge.
In his current role, Uthmeier makes $201,724.
Uthmeier grew up in Florida and got his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, then left the state for Washington for several years.
Uthmeier graduated from Georgetown Law School in 2014. While in college, he worked as a law clerk for Rubio from December 2012 to January 2014, according to Uthmeier’s LinkedIn.
He then worked as an associate at the major Washington-based law firm Jones Day before joining the Trump administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce.
There, he was senior adviser and counsel to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and played a key role in trying to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 U.S. Census.
Ahead of the 2024 election, DeSantis led opposition to two proposed constitutional amendments that would have legalized recreational marijuana and protected abortion access.
The governor leveraged state power against the citizen-led ballot initiatives, and Uthmeier helped. Uthmeier was the chairperson of two political committees that raised money to oppose the amendments.
Ultimately both amendments failed to surpass Florida’s 60% requirement for adoption.
In 2022, DeSantis led a state-funded operation that flew roughly 50 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. Several of the migrants had legal status in the U.S. as asylum seekers and said they were tricked into taking the charter flights with false promises of jobs and other aid.
The recruitment tactics used by the DeSantis administration resulted in criminal investigations and several lawsuits, including one filed by some migrants who claimed they were deceived by the state.
Behind the scenes, DeSantis relied heavily on his top aides, including Uthmeier. Uthmeier worked closely with DeSantis’ former public safety czar Larry Keefe, who traveled to Texas to oversee the program.
Keefe texted Uthmeier that conditions in Texas were “favorable,” and Uthmeier told Keefe that he had his “full support,” according to public records.
Uthmeier used his personal cellphone in planning that operation. DeSantis’ lawyers have tried to block Uthmeier’s phone logs, despite it being used to conduct state business.
Times/Herald Tallahassee bureau reporter Ana Ceballos contributed to this report.
Romy Ellenbogen is a Tallahassee correspondent, covering state government with a focus on criminal justice and health. Reach her at rellenbogen@tampabay.com.
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