Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to appoint James Uthmeier as his new attorney general. A pro-life Catholic who teaches religious education classes, Uthmeier was a strong opponent of the amendment that sought to enshrine abortion-on-demand in Florida.
(LifeSiteNews) — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday he plans to appoint top aide James Uthmeier, a pro-life Catholic, as state attorney general.
As a result of President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Florida Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, DeSantis announced on Thursday he is selecting Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill Rubio’s seat as state senator, leaving a vacancy.
According to Politico, DeSantis said during a press conference announcing Moody's placement as senator that “you can anticipate” that his chief of staff, Uthmeier, would replace Moody, adding, “I think that’s something that will happen.”
Uthmeier then wrote on X, “I’m honored and humbled to be appointed by @GovRonDeSantis as the next Attorney General of the Free State of Florida.”
A devout Catholic, Uthmeier teaches religious education classes along with his wife at St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral near Florida State University, according to Tallahassee Democrat.
In 2022, he served as a lector for the state’s annual Red Mass, attended by Governor DeSantis, according to Catholic journalist Sachin Jose.
In keeping with his Christian faith, Uthmeier is pro-life. The Florida AG pick helped lead efforts to fight proposed amendments that would have legalized on-demand abortion and marijuana use in the state, as chair of two committees that fundraised against them. The amendments both ultimately failed to meet the vote threshold needed for adoption.
Uthmeier said last year regarding the abortion amendment, ”It would invalidate every law that's seeking to protect women and children in the context of abortion.” He has called “the idea of taxpayer-funded abortions” “horrific.”
The incoming AG has also supported DeSantis’ and Trump’s efforts to combat illegal immigration, and was involved in DeSantis’ state-funded operation that flew about 50 Venezuelan, mostly illegal immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. Uthmeier recently called for Florida leaders to immediately set out to “combat illegal immigration” as Trump takes office.
Uthmeier was appointed DeSantis’ chief of staff in October 2021, and paused this role in August 2023 when DeSantis tapped him to serve as his campaign manager as the governor ran for president. Uthmeier replaced DeSantis’ former campaign manager after the governor suffered from polling setbacks, until DeSantis endorsed Trump in January 2024.
