Republican Ashley Moody won the U.S. Senate election in Florida on Tuesday, earning two more years in office. She defeated Democrat Angie Nixon, a state legislator who advanced to the general election in an upset primary win back in August.
Though Moody was the incumbent candidate, this year was not a re-election bid. She was appointed to her seat in the Senate by Gov. Ron DeSantis after Marco Rubio resigned to become President Donald Trump’s secretary of state. Tuesday was technically a special election to fill out the remaining two years of Rubio’s term; Moody would have to run and win again in 2028 if she hopes to serve her first full six-year term in office.
With backing from the bulk of the Republican establishment, Moody cruised to victory in the August 18 primary election with 79.6% of the vote. She had the backing of President Trump, fellow Senator Rick Scott, and every Republican sheriff in Florida.
Angie Nixon’s path to the general election was much steeper than Moody’s. A member of the Florida House of Representatives from Jacksonville, Nixon faced Army veteran and Trump-Ukraine whistleblower Alex Vindman. Despite Vindman raising over 16 times more money than Nixon, the latter candidate won with 56.1% of the vote.
The nomination of Angie Nixon was both a statement and experiment for Florida Democrats. For a party that’s nominated moderate ex-Republicans in both the past two gubernatorial races, Nixon differed greatly as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Her candidacy offered a test of how progressive policies truly fare in a state that Democrats are fighting to turn purple again.
Nixon was endorsed by former President Barack Obama along with four sitting senators: Ruben Gallego, Chris Murphy, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. Polling showed Moody consistently ahead of Nixon throughout the general election cycle, and betting markets pinned the Florida Senate seat as a likely hold for Republicans. Still, Nixon’s August upset created optimism among her supporters for another unlikely win.
