Retired Army lieutenant colonel pledges to stand with Democratic nominee Angie Nixon in November fight against Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (FNN NEWS) — Retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman threw his support behind state Rep. Angie Nixon after losing Florida’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, calling on his supporters to unite behind Nixon as Democrats turn their attention to the November special election against Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody.

Vindman, a 21-year Army combat veteran and former White House national security official, reflected on his journey from arriving in the United States as a refugee to becoming a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

“Who would’ve ever thought that a Jewish refugee would make it to the U.S. Army, to the White House, and to becoming a candidate for the U.S. Senate,” Vindman said in his election-night statement. “Only in America is that possible.”

VINDMAN: ‘I STILL BELIEVE IN THE AMERICAN DREAM’

Vindman’s statement focused heavily on his personal story and continued belief in the opportunities available in the United States.

“I still believe in the American Dream, because I’ve lived it,” Vindman said. “It’s worth fighting for.”

Vindman and his family left the Soviet Union as refugees when he was 3 years old.

He later served 21 years in the U.S. Army, including combat service, before becoming a national security official and serving in the White House.

After his military career took him around the world, Vindman and his wife, Rachel, settled with their family in Florida.

VINDMAN ENDORSES ANGIE NIXON

Vindman quickly moved beyond the primary campaign and pledged his support to Nixon.

“Rep. Nixon ran a strong campaign,” Vindman said. “I will be standing by her side in the fight against Ashley Moody. I hope you’ll join me.”

The statement represents an immediate effort to unite Democrats following a competitive primary.

Nixon, a Jacksonville state representative known for her progressive politics and outspoken opposition to Republican policies in Tallahassee, defeated Vindman for the Democratic nomination.

DEMOCRATS TURN TOWARD NOVEMBER

Vindman’s endorsement gives Nixon an opportunity to bring his primary supporters into her general election coalition.

The challenge now shifts from a Democratic contest to a statewide battle against Moody, a former Florida attorney general who was appointed to the Senate and secured the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary.

The race presents Florida voters with sharply contrasting candidates and political records.

Nixon has built her reputation as a progressive legislator and grassroots activist, while Moody has been closely aligned with Florida’s Republican leadership and Gov. Ron DeSantis.

PRIMARY RIVALS UNITE AGAINST ASHLEY MOODY

Vindman’s election-night message avoided a prolonged battle over the primary result. Instead, he congratulated Nixon on running a strong campaign and immediately focused on defeating Moody.

That could prove important for Democrats as they seek to consolidate their voters after the primary and compete statewide in November.

For Vindman, the campaign ended with a message centered on the country that gave his refugee family a new beginning.

For Nixon, his endorsement marks the beginning of a different challenge: bringing together Democrats who supported competing candidates and turning an upset primary victory into a viable statewide campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Republican incumbent cruises through GOP primary, setting up November showdown with Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon

By Florida National News

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody easily won Florida’s Republican nomination Tuesday in the special election for U.S. Senate, advancing to a November general election against Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon.

Moody dominated the Republican primary with nearly 80% of the vote. Chris Gleason finished a distant second with about 14%, while Ernest Rivera and Neelam Perry each received less than 5%.

The victory allows Moody to turn her attention to November as she campaigns to retain the Senate seat she was appointed to fill after Marco Rubio left the Senate to become secretary of state.

MOODY DOMINATES REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

Unlike the upset that unfolded on the Democratic side, Moody entered Tuesday as the overwhelming favorite for the Republican nomination and delivered a decisive victory.

The Associated Press projected Moody the winner Tuesday night. Her nearly 80% share of the Republican primary vote demonstrated her strength among GOP voters heading into the general election.

The Florida Division of Elections lists Moody as the Republican incumbent and a qualified candidate for the 2026 general election.

FROM FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL TO U.S. SENATE

Moody entered the Senate with a statewide political base already established.

Before joining the U.S. Senate, Moody served as Florida attorney general. Gov. Ron DeSantis selected her in January 2025 to succeed Rubio, who left the Senate after being chosen to serve as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state.

The 2026 special election will determine who serves the remainder of Rubio’s Senate term.

Moody now has something she did not have when she initially entered the Senate: the Republican nomination secured directly from Florida voters.

MOODY VS. NIXON

Tuesday produced sharply different paths to the nominations.

While Moody cruised to victory on the Republican side, Nixon delivered one of Florida’s biggest primary surprises by defeating retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman for the Democratic nomination.

Nixon won despite being significantly outspent by Vindman, turning the Democratic primary into a victory for the party’s progressive wing.

The results officially set up a November contest between two women with extensive experience in Florida politics: Moody, the former state attorney general and incumbent Republican senator, and Nixon, a Jacksonville state representative known for aggressively challenging DeSantis and Republican policies in Tallahassee.

SPECIAL ELECTION CARRIES NATIONAL STAKES

Florida’s Senate contest could also have implications beyond the state.

Republicans are seeking to defend their Senate majority in the 2026 midterm elections, while Democrats are searching nationwide for opportunities to gain seats.

Florida, however, has shifted toward Republicans in recent election cycles, giving Moody a significant structural advantage entering the general election. Reuters reported after the primary that Moody is favored in the matchup.

Nixon’s victory gives Democrats a nominee with a sharply different political profile and campaign strategy.

That contrast could make the race a broader test of competing political movements: Florida’s increasingly powerful Republican establishment against a progressive Democratic campaign attempting to mobilize working-class, younger and traditionally Democratic voters.

TWO VERY DIFFERENT POLITICAL RECORDS

The general election also pits two candidates whose political identities were forged on opposite sides of Florida’s major partisan battles.

As attorney general, Moody became closely associated with DeSantis and Florida’s Republican leadership before the governor appointed her to the Senate.

Nixon built much of her statewide profile by confronting that same Republican leadership from the Florida House floor.

In 2022, Nixon joined fellow Democratic lawmakers in a House floor sit-in protesting a DeSantis-backed congressional redistricting plan.

Those competing political histories now move from Tallahassee to a statewide federal contest.

NOVEMBER: ASHLEY MOODY VS. ANGIE NIXON

The Nov. 3 special election will give Florida voters the final say over who holds the Senate seat.

For Moody, the campaign is about converting an appointment into an electoral mandate and keeping the seat in Republican hands.

For Nixon, the challenge is considerably different: turning an upset Democratic primary victory into a statewide coalition capable of defeating a Republican incumbent in a state that has moved toward the GOP.

If Nixon wins, she would become Florida’s first Black U.S. senator.

Tuesday’s primaries settled the nominations.

Now Florida’s U.S. Senate special election becomes Ashley Moody vs. Angie Nixon — an incumbent Republican former attorney general against a progressive Democratic state lawmaker — with control of a Florida Senate seat at stake.

Nixon Joined Fellow Black Lawmakers and Puerto Rican Rep. Daisy Morales in 2022 Florida House Floor Sit-In Against Gov. Ron DeSantis-Backed Congressional Map

By Florida National News

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FNN) — Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat whose confrontational style of advocacy has repeatedly put her at the center of battles in the Florida Legislature, scored an upset victory Tuesday to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Nixon defeated former Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, winning about 56% of the vote with nearly all ballots counted. She now advances to the November general election against Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody.

The victory was particularly striking because Nixon entered the race as an underdog against a nationally known opponent with a major fundraising advantage. Reuters described the result as a surprise victory that adds to a series of progressive wins challenging Democratic establishment candidates.

FROM FLORIDA HOUSE ‘FREEDOM FIGHTER’ TO U.S. SENATE NOMINEE

For Floridians who have followed Nixon’s career in Tallahassee, her willingness to challenge Republican leadership is nothing new.

The Jacksonville lawmaker has built a reputation as one of the Florida House’s most outspoken progressive voices, frequently confronting Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican legislative majority over voting rights, redistricting, education, affordability and other issues.

One of the defining moments of that reputation came on April 21, 2022.

During a special legislative session over a DeSantis-backed congressional redistricting plan, Nixon joined fellow Democratic lawmakers in taking over the center of the Florida House chamber in protest.

The protest temporarily halted House proceedings as lawmakers objected to a congressional map they argued would diminish Black voting power.

Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, D-Gainesville, Rep. Daisy Morales, D-Orlando, Rep. Tray McCurdy, D-Orlando (in front) and Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, protest on the Florida Seal as debate is halted in the House of Representatives Thursday, April 21, 2022, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. The session was halted by the protest, but continued after a brief recess. Phil Sears AP

THE 2022 HOUSE FLOOR SHOWDOWN

The protest began after then-state Rep. Yvonne Hinson of Gainesville continued speaking beyond her allotted debate time.

As debate over Senate Bill 2-C was ending, Nixon moved into the center aisle and led a voting-rights chant.

Nixon was joined in the center of the chamber by Hinson and then-state Reps. Travaris McCurdy of Orlando, Felicia Robinson and Daisy Morales.

The five lawmakers — four Black legislators and Morales, a Puerto Rican Hispanic legislator — occupied the center of the House chamber as Republican lawmakers watched and legislative business was disrupted. Contemporary coverage described the action as a Democratic sit-in against the congressional map.

Nixon and McCurdy eventually sat on the Florida state seal on the House floor as the protest continued.

The demonstration did not stop the Republican-controlled Legislature from ultimately approving the congressional map, but it created one of the most dramatic scenes of the 2022 legislative session and helped establish Nixon as a lawmaker willing to use direct protest inside the Capitol.

A CAMPAIGN BUILT FROM THE GRASSROOTS

Four years later, Nixon carried that confrontational political identity into a statewide U.S. Senate campaign.

Rather than competing with Vindman dollar for dollar, Nixon emphasized grassroots organizing and a progressive economic agenda focused on working families.

Her platform has included Medicare for All, higher wages, affordable housing, child care and increased taxes on billionaires to finance expanded public programs.

That message proved strong enough to overcome a dramatic financial disadvantage. Nixon raised less than $1 million while Vindman raised many millions more, according to post-primary reporting.

The result gives Nixon a powerful campaign argument heading into November: Florida Democratic primary voters chose her despite her opponent’s overwhelming financial advantage.

NIXON’S VICTORY SHAKES UP FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC POLITICS

Nixon’s nomination also represents an ideological test for a Florida Democratic Party trying to rebuild after years of Republican gains.

Her victory places a progressive, democratic socialist-aligned candidate at the top of the Democratic Senate ticket in a state Republicans have increasingly dominated in statewide elections.

Republicans are expected to make Nixon’s ideology and policy positions central issues in the general election. Democrats and progressive organizations supporting Nixon, meanwhile, can point to her primary victory as evidence that a grassroots, working-class message can overcome traditional campaign spending advantages.

The November race remains difficult for Democrats. Moody enters the general election as the Republican incumbent in a state that has moved significantly toward the GOP in recent election cycles. Reuters reported that Nixon’s nomination could complicate Democratic hopes of flipping the seat.

A POTENTIALLY HISTORIC GENERAL ELECTION

The stakes extend beyond party control.

If Nixon defeats Moody in November, she would become Florida’s first Black U.S. senator, adding another historic dimension to a campaign that began as an underdog bid for the Democratic nomination.

Nixon has served in the Florida House since 2020 and currently represents Jacksonville-area House District 13. Her legislative profile describes priorities including affordable housing, public education and fair wages.

Her path from a House-floor protester challenging DeSantis’ congressional map to the Democratic nominee for one of Florida’s two U.S. Senate seats underscores the political identity she has cultivated throughout her legislative career: activist first, establishment politician second.

The freedom fighter who once helped bring the Florida House to a temporary halt now faces a much larger political fight — convincing Florida voters to send her to Washington.