Who is Ashley Moody? Meet the Senate's newest member from Florida

A 49-year-old mother of two, Moody has served as the state's top prosecutor since 2019, having previously worked as an assistant U.S. attorney and a circuit court judge. The Republican state attorney general has supported lawsuits to invalidate the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, and pushed against restoring voting rights for felons and marijuana legalization.  

Her husband, Justin Duralia, serves as the deputy chief of the Plant City Police Department in Hillsborough County. 

As a senator, Moody promised to work to undo regulations instituted by government agencies and shrink the federal budget. "The only way to return this country to the people, the people who govern it, is to make sure we have a strong Congress doing its job, passing laws and actually approving the regulations that these unelected bureaucrats are trying to cram down on the American people," she said. 

Moody will have to run to keep the seat in a 2026 special election, and House Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., has already said he will run for the seat. 

Last year, she sued the Biden administration for a rule she argued would force doctors to provide gender transition care.