Republicans voters overwhelmingly support sending Lara Trump to the Senate to replace Rubio, according to poll

Donald Trump's decision to nominate Sen. Marco Rubio for the role of secretary of state has triggered a guessing game about who Gov. Ron DeSantis will pick to take up the vacated seat.

Republican voters have a very clear answer: Donald Trump's daughter-in-law Lara.

She is one of the leading names in the mix after winning acclaim by helming the Republican National Committee through the election campaign.

And an exclusive J.L. Partners poll for DailyMail.com shows that 59 percent of Republicans support her elevation to the Senate. 

Some 36 percent say they 'strongly' support the idea while only ten percent are opposed.

Reactions are more mixed among the broader public, according to the poll of 1006 registered voters.

Overall 33 percent support her being sent to the Senate, with 30 percent opposed.

The decision lies with the Florida governor and DeSantis' team has made clear it will take its time in reviewing possible picks.

James Johnson, cofounder of J.L. Partners, said the poll results showed what DeSantis should do.

'Republican voters are with the Trumps and they believe Lara Trump should be the Senate replacement in Florida,' he said. 

'Looking at these data, there is little to no chance of a backlash amongst the voters. 

That might be of little surprise after the personal mandate these voters have just given Donald Trump, but it does show that Ron Desantis’ interests — both to keep Trump and the Republican foot soldiers on side - may well mean appointing Lara Trump.'

A potential complication emerged this week with reports that Trump was considering DeSantis for the role of defense secretary after his pick, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, looked to be heading for a difficult confirmation amid reports of heavy drinking and misconduct (allegations that he denies).

Either way, DeSantis himself has said he will make the decision by the beginning of January.

But his rocky relationship with Trump and his own ambitions add layer upon layer of intrigue.

One theory was that he might engineer his own path to the Senate, by appointing himself or stepping aside as governor (he is term limited and unable to run again) and ensuring that his replacement send him to Washington. 

Or he could appoint a placeholder to fill out the end of Rubio's term before running himself when it is up for reelection in 2026, positioning him for a tilt at the presidency two years later

However, insiders told NBC News that the governor was not interested in pursuing a Senate seat.

That suggests his choice is down to Lara Trump, whose name was quickly floated by Trump allies, or someone who is not Lara Trump.

'DeSantis knows what's expected of him,' said one source familiar with the thinking at Mar-a-Lago. 

Picking Lara would indicate that the DeSantis's truce with Trump is holding after their bitter election scrap. 

But he has plenty of local options if he wants to elevate one of his close allies.

His number two, Lt. Gov Jeanette Nuñez, is an obvious choice. Other names floated include Florida's Attorney General Ashley Moody and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.

That leaves Lara Trump with the most national name recognition and some of the most high-profile backing.

Sen. Rick Scott, who preceded DeSantis as Florida governor, wrote on X: 'We need more Republicans in Washington who actually represent the Republican Party back home and will be steadfast in their commitment to fulfill the mandate from this election – to Make America Great Again. @LaraLeaTrump is that person.'

For her part, Trump has expressed interest. 

'If this is something I am asked to do, I would seriously consider it, but I have yet to hear from Gov. DeSantis. So we’ll see what happens,' she said last month.