Ron DeSantis Blasts Senate Republicans After Vance, Rubio Miss Vote

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called out the Republican Senators who did not show up to vote, leading to a “leftist judge” being elevated to a seat on a federal appeals court on Monday.
DeSantis believes the fact that six Republican Senators did not vote on Monday is to blame for Judge Embry Kidd’s confirmation to the Florida 11th Circuit. Senators JD Vance (Ohio) and Marco Rubio (Florida) are among those who did not vote. Kidd, who was confirmed on a 49-45 vote, will be President Joe Biden’s second appointee to the federal appeals court.
“This leftist judge would have been voted down and the seat on the important 11th Circuit would have been filled by Donald Trump next year had Republicans showed up,” DeSantis posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. “Now, the leftist judge will have a lifetime appointment and the people of FL, AL and GA will suffer the consequences.”
While Vance and Rubio have been tapped by President-elect Trump to hold the roles of Vice President and Secretary of State respectively, they are still able to vote in the Senate until they are sworn into office in January.
In addition, Senators Bill Hagerty (Tennessee), Mike Braun (Indiana) and Steve Daines (Montana) did not vote. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was the only Democrat to abstain.
Newsweek reached out to Rubio, Vance, Hagerty and Braun’s communications teams for comment.
Daines was not present because of flight issues. He posted to X in response to Montanans for Limited Government asking where he was that the “runway closed due to ice, then prolonged de-icing, then a medical emergency… then Delta flight attendants timed out.”
Trump also weighed in, posting on Truth Social, “The Democrats are trying to stack the Courts with Radical Left Judges on their way out the door. Republican Senators need to Show Up and Hold the Line — No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!”
Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project and a Trump ally, joined in with DeSantis’ sentiment. He said the Senators need to “show up to work and vote” to “stop Biden’s radical lifetime appointed judges.”
“These are the worst of the worst, the nominees that could not get confirmed,” Davis said. “Your only job as a Senate Republican is to show up and vote. You’re not required to do anything else.”
In a now-deleted post, Grace Chong, the chief operating office for Trump ally Steve Bannon’s War Room, posted and tagged Vance and Rubio and said, “you guys better show up and do your one fricken job!!”
Later, Vance called Chong a “mouth breathing imbecile who attacks those of us in the fight rather than make herself useful.”
“If I had shown up to the vote in question, the nominee would have succeeded 49-46 rather than 49-45,” Vance posted in a now-deleted post. “If every Republican had showed up, Fetterman would have come in and the Democrats still would have gotten their nominee across.”
Conservative political activist Charlie Kirk requoted Chong and added a “small note” that “Vance is co-chair of the transition. We NEED him right where he is helping shape incoming administration.”
Kidd was confirmed to the federal appeals court that covers Alabama, Florida and Georgia. This is Biden’s second appointee to the federal appeals court in that area after Judge Nancy Abudu’s confirmation to the circuit in 2023.
Kidd is the 45th circuit court judge confirmed under Biden’s administration. The Senate has confirmed 246 judges to lifetime appointments on the federal bench during Biden’s time in the White House.
“Judge Kidd’s experience in private practice and public service, in addition to his experience as a magistrate judge, has prepared him to serve with distinction on the federal bench,” Democratic Senator and Senate Judiciary Committee chair Richard Durbin (Illinois) said in a statement.
“I congratulate Judge Kidd on becoming the 45th circuit court judge confirmed under the Biden-Harris administration, and the latest example of the Senate Judiciary Committee advancing highly qualified nominees to bring balance to the federal judiciary.”
Kidd became a US magistrate judge in 2019. Before that, he was a federal prosecutor in Florida.
Biden nominated Kidd in May to fill a vacancy after Judge Charles Wilson announced he planned to take senior status, a form of semi-retirement, in January. Wilson was appointed by former President Bill Clinton.
There are now four other federal appellate nominees still awaiting Senate confirmation: Judges Julia Lipez (1st Circuit), Adeel Mangi (3rd Circuit), Ryan Park (4th Circuit) and Karla Campbell (6th Circuit).
Update: 11/19/24, 3:05 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with more information.
Update: 11/19/24, 2 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with more information.