Angie Nixon wins Florida Democratic Senate primary

Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist who campaigned on progressive priorities and a grass-roots message, won an upset victory in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, defeating former Army intelligence officer Alexander Vindman and setting up a November race against Republican Sen. Ashley Moody.

Nixon received 56.1% of the vote to Vindman’s 43.9%, according to the Associated Press. The result came despite a large fundraising gap: Nixon had $975,000 at the end of July compared with Vindman’s $16.3 million, according to Florida Politics.

Speaking Wednesday on “CBS Mornings,” Nixon said her campaign was not defined by ideology.

“It’s not necessarily a socialist message or a progressive message,” Nixon said. “It’s actually just about the needs of people.”

She added: “People want the same things,” including being “healthy, prosperous, and safe.” Nixon said voters want leaders to protect “rights that they deserve,” including “healthcare,” “housing” and “voting rights.”

Nixon has represented parts of the Jacksonville area in the Florida House since 2020. She said she recently joined both the Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party, but told voters that “nothing’s changed about me.”

“I am someone who’s going to stand up for them to make sure that I listen to them and continue to fight for them and what their needs are,” she said.

Her campaign emphasized proposals including Medicare for All, free universal child care and pre-K. Nixon told CBS that such policies speak to concerns about health and safety across party lines and indicated they could be funded through taxes on the ultra-rich.

Nixon now faces Moody, Florida’s former attorney general, who was appointed to the Senate last year to replace Marco Rubio after he became secretary of state. Moody won a lightly contested Republican primary and is running to serve the remainder of Rubio’s term, which ends in early 2029.

Nixon criticized Moody and President Donald Trump, saying Floridians are “fed up with what’s happening in Washington, D.C.” She said voters believe Washington is “broken” and that “people like unelected Ashley Moody and Donald Trump are working less and less and less, and meanwhile getting richer.”

Vindman, who served on the National Security Council during Trump’s first term, became widely known as a whistleblower and witness in Trump’s first impeachment, which centered on Trump pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden.

Vindman had been expected to win the primary because of his fundraising advantage. His campaign focused heavily on Moody, and he did not agree to debate Nixon despite her public calls for a debate, The Guardian reported.

After the race was called, Vindman praised Nixon, writing that she “ran a strong campaign.” He added: “I will be standing by her side in the fight against Ashley Moody. I hope you’ll join me.”

Nixon said her campaign prevailed through organizing and direct voter contact. As a former single mother, she said, she knows “how to make a dollar stretch,” and as a community organizer, “we work hard, and we go and speak to everyone.”

“And that’s what the difference was between me and Mr. Vindman,” Nixon said. “And that’s going to be the difference between me and Ashley Moody.”

National Democratic leaders, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, praised Nixon after her win, citing her background as a former union organizer and saying she had “dedicated her career to fighting for Florida.”

Nixon’s victory follows other recent primary wins by Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates, though establishment Democrats also won key Florida races this week, including Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jared Moskowitz, who defeated progressive challengers.