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.” MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/politics/james-uthmeier-desantis-florida-attorney-general/67-a545f021-9a60-4161-80a6-b3ac02b67015