Republican Ashley Moody Defeats Democrat Angie Nixon in Florida Senate Special Election

Republican Sen. Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon in Florida's Senate election on Tuesday, keeping the seat Republican. The Associated Press called the race at 8:34 p.m. The Washington Examiner reported Moody won 50.7% to Nixon's 48.2%, a margin of about 2.5 points. Moody, 51, was appointed last year to fill the vacancy left when Marco Rubio became Secretary of State, and she will now serve her first full six-year term. She is a former Florida attorney general, federal prosecutor and commercial litigator. Nixon, 42, has represented part of the Jacksonville area in the Florida House since 2020. She joined the Democratic Socialists of America in June and won the August primary in an upset over Alex Vindman. Moody raised more than $20 million over the cycle to Nixon's roughly $8.5 million, though Nixon out-raised her in the third quarter. President Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott endorsed Moody; Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Barack Obama and Rep. Maxwell Frost backed Nixon. Trump won Florida by 13 points in 2024.

Left-leaning outlets CBS News and NBC News treat the result as a projection and place it in the national picture. CBS stresses Nixon's primary win as part of progressive victories amid Democratic disagreement over the party's future, and says the socialist label may have alienated immigrant voters who fled socialist governments. It quotes Nixon saying it is "not about labels" and highlights her focus on healthcare and housing. NBC is brief, citing Steve Kornacki's analysis of a narrow result and Democrats' push for Senate control. Right-leaning outlets give more detail on the campaign. The Washington Free Beacon uses a mocking headline about Nixon's "Resistance Cafe," calls her anti-Israel, and recounts her 2023 stance against Israel, her DSA membership and a warning from state party chair Nikki Fried. The Washington Examiner is more neutral and leads with the vote totals, fundraising, donors such as Ken Griffin, and endorsements. Both sides agree on the winner, Nixon's socialist label and Florida's rightward lean. Alternative and independent outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left- and right-leaning outlets had.