Ashley Moody And Angie Nixon Win Florida Senate Primaries, Set November Special Election
The Associated Press projected on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that state Rep. Angie Nixon won the Florida Democratic U.S. Senate primary.[1]
She will face appointed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in a November special election to complete Marco Rubio's term through early 2029.[1]
Nixon, 42, ran a low-budget, grassroots campaign that relied heavily on volunteers and union members.[2] Her primary platform included Medicare for All, free childcare, paid family and sick leave, and a national rent freeze.[1]
Alex Vindman had been widely viewed as the front-runner and far out-raised Nixon in the Democratic primary.[2] Many party leaders had welcomed Vindman as the candidate most likely to make Florida competitive.[2] Nixon's upset fits a broader 2026 pattern of progressive or insurgent Democrats defeating more moderate, better-funded primary opponents in several states.[1]
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Moody in January 2025 to replace Marco Rubio after he became secretary of state, and she recently received President Trump's endorsement as a "tremendous" senator.[1] With 53 Republicans in the Senate, Democrats would need four net pickups to flip control.[1] Moody remains largely unknown to many Florida voters despite her prior service as state attorney general and her 2025 appointment, and the GOP's fundraising and field advantages could favor her in November.[2]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, the Associated Press projected that Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon won the Florida Democratic U.S. Senate primary, defeating Alex Vindman.
- The November special election is now set between appointed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody and Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon to complete Marco Rubio's term through early 2029.
- Angie Nixon ran a low-budget, grassroots campaign, relying heavily on volunteers and union members; she is 42, a union organizer who joined the Democratic Socialists of America in June 2026.
- Nixon's primary platform included Medicare for All, free childcare, paid family and sick leave, and a national rent freeze, delivered as a working- and middle-class message.
- Alex Vindman had been widely viewed as the front-runner, far out-raised Nixon, and was welcomed by many party leaders who hoped to make Florida competitive.
- Ashley Moody, 51, was appointed in January 2025 by Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace Marco Rubio after he became secretary of state, and recently received President Trump's endorsement as a "tremendous" senator.
- Democrats view the Florida contest as an important — if long-shot — pickup: with 53 Republicans in the Senate, Democrats would need four net gains to flip control, even as the GOP retains structural fundraising and field advantages that could favor Moody.
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, The Associated Press projected that Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon won the Florida Democratic U.S. Senate primary, defeating Alex Vindman.
- The November race is now set between appointed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody and Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon for the special election to complete Marco Rubio's term through early 2029.
- The article details Nixon's platform in the primary, including Medicare for All, free childcare, paid family and sick leave, and a national rent freeze, and notes she leaned on long-standing roots in Florida and a working- and middle-class message.
- The piece frames Nixon's victory over Vindman as part of a broader 2026 pattern of progressive or insurgent Democrats defeating more moderate, better-funded primary opponents in several states.
- The article reiterates that Moody, 51, was appointed in January 2025 by Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace Marco Rubio after he became secretary of state, and notes she recently received President Trump's endorsement as a "tremendous" senator.
- The article notes that with 53 Republicans currently in the Senate, Democrats would need four net pickups to flip control, and view this Florida race as a long-shot but important pickup opportunity.
- The New York Times reports the Associated Press projected State Rep. Angie Nixon the winner of the Florida Democratic U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, over Alex Vindman.
- The article adds that Vindman was widely viewed as the front-runner, far out-raised Nixon, and was welcomed by many party leaders hoping to make Florida competitive.
- Nixon, 42, is described as a union organizer who recently joined the Democratic Socialists of America in June 2026 and ran a low-budget, grassroots campaign relying heavily on volunteers and union members.
- The piece emphasizes that Democrats see appointed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody as potentially vulnerable in a tough midterm year for Republicans, but note the GOP's structural advantages in fundraising and field operation.
- The article notes that Moody remains largely unknown to many Florida voters despite her prior service as state attorney general and her 2025 appointment to the Senate.