Florida Democrat Angie Nixon, a progressive who recently joined the Democratic Socialists of America, won Democrats’ nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in a stunning upset that gave progressives a win in a highly unlikely state.
Nixon, a Florida state representative and community organizer, defeated retired Lt. Col. Alex Vindman to face Republican Ashley Moody, who was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in January 2025.
Nixon’s win in Florida is stunning given the state’s large Latino population, which for years has punished Democrats who become linked to the “socialist” label. In the past decade, Republicans have grown their power in the state by appealing to the population’s fears of socialism, pointing to authoritarian regimes in Cuba, Venezuela and elsewhere.
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In a victory speech Tuesday night, Nixon thanked “the hundreds of thousands of Floridians who stood up because they believe in a vision of a better Florida, that we deserve to thrive not just survive — the voters that know we can have better and we can accomplish more for our communities, who believe that healthcare, childcare and housing are a human right.”
“We have proved that everyday people are more powerful than corporations and millionaires. Together we went up against the political establishment — against millions of dollars of outside spending. We were outspent 16 to 1 and we won,” Nixon said.
Nixon ran with the backing of key progressives, including Democratic Reps. Maxwell Frost of Florida, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Like other progressives running in primaries around the country, Nixon vowed to aggressively challenge the status quo along with “billionaires and corporations,” and described her campaign as “actually not just really progressive, it’s just centering people, hardworking people.” In a state that has swung decidedly toward Republicans in the Trump era, Nixon animated Florida Democrats hopeful about stopping the bleed.
Nixon is only the second Black woman to win the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in the Sunshine State. If she wins the general election, she would also become the first Black lawmaker and second woman ever elected to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.
Nixon is widely known for visible displays of dissent. She was arrested in a May sit-in in the office of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as she protested Florida’s redrawn congressional maps. Dressed in a pink jumpsuit and carrying a pink megaphone, Nixon also protested the maps as illegal on the floor of the Florida House.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried downplayed the potential of progressive insurgents to win in Florida in the lead-up to Tuesday’s primaries. Pointing to Florida voters who fled left-wing authoritarian regimes, Fried told Politico: “I trust our electorate that they’re going to nominate people who are reflective of our communities here in our state.”
Nixon was far outraised by Vindman, who brought in $16 million while she failed to clear the $1 million mark. Vindman, whose family fled Soviet communism, focused his bid on fighting corruption without specifically targeting Trump, whose political ascent has reshaped Florida politics.
In a fiery speech to a Jacksonville, Florida, crowd, Nixon was defiant about her chances of winning in November.
“If wanting your neighbor to afford their insulin is radical, then call me a radical. If believing a mother shouldn’t have to work three jobs just to keep a roof over their head is extreme, then call me extreme,” she told cheering supporters Tuesday in Jacksonville. “Where I come from here in Duval County … it’s basic human decency.”
Cook Political Report currently rates the race “Solid Republican”; President Donald Trump won Florida by 13 points in 2024. Floridians have not elected a Democrat statewide since 2018.
