With Gov. Ron DeSantis describing him as a “bulldog,” James Uthmeier was elevated Monday to become Florida attorney general after serving as the governor’s chief of staff.
While DeSantis had said earlier he would appoint Uthmeier to succeed former Attorney General Ashley Moody, he made it official during a brief ceremony at the Old Capitol. DeSantis last month appointed Moody to the U.S. Senate, after Marco Rubio was picked by President Donald Trump to become U.S. secretary of state.
“This was not a very difficult decision for me to put James as the next attorney general,” DeSantis said. “Because I know he’s got the foundation. I know he’s got the proper worldview.”
Uthmeier will serve until the end of the attorney general’s current term in 2026 and would be eligible to run for two additional four-year terms.
Uthmeier said he will approach the office with an “America first agenda” that fights drug cartels and maintains DeSantis' approach to government.
“We will not stand idly by as the left tries to infiltrate our institutions and use the court system to indoctrinate our kids,” Uthmeier said. “We will fight the activists that try to weaken our duly enacted laws, that try to challenge our constitutional order and try to harm the unborn.”
Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Republican and DeSantis ally, praised Uthmeier for helping advance DeSantis’ priorities.
“He’s aggressive. He takes no B.S. And he gets things done,” Ingoglia told reporters after the event. “A lot of the things we’ve been able to accomplish as a state is because of Ron DeSantis’ vision and James Uthmeier’s execution.”
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried described the appointment as DeSantis further “weaponizing the judicial branch of government” as Uthmeier has “shown he is willing to do anything” to assist the governor. The event came after DeSantis reached agreement last week with legislative leaders on an immigration plan after a public spat.
“While I’m sure James is relieved to be getting out of the governor’s office after negotiating a peace treaty in the Republican civil war, his confirmation today should be concerning to all Floridians --- bringing us one step closer to totalitarianism in the state of Florida,” Fried said in a statement.
DeSantis acknowledged that the formal appointment of Uthmeier had remained pending efforts to agree on a plan to help carry out Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. The Legislature passed the agreed-upon plan Thursday. Uthmeier worked behind the scenes on the issue.
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power said he expects DeSantis and Uthmeier to remain in lockstep on addressing immigration and drug trafficking.