Moody wins 54% of vote to keep Florida Senate seat
The Republican appointee defeated progressive challenger Angie Nixon in a special election decided by voter registration gaps and immigration policy debates.
By Allison Rojas ·
Ashley Moody retained her Florida Senate seat on Tuesday after defeating Angie Nixon in a special election. The Republican victory confirmed her hold on the position she assumed in January 2025 upon Marco Rubio's departure for the State Department. Moody will now serve the remainder of the term until the 2028 general election.
Nixon, a democratic socialist, campaigned on affordability and political corruption. She challenged Moody's record as Florida’s attorney general, citing the Hope Florida scandal in which the Ron DeSantis administration diverted $10 million in Medicaid funds to political committees. In a viral interview, Nixon stated she did not want to abolish prisons because she wanted Moody in one of them.
Moody’s campaign focused on labeling Nixon a socialist. She argued that Nixon’s ties to the Democratic Socialists of America signaled support for defunding police and military, abolishing prisons, and allowing unchecked immigration. Moody praised President Trump’s immigration stance but avoided personal endorsements due to his low approval ratings regarding the Iran war and gas prices.
Prominent progressive Democrats backed Nixon in central Florida last month. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined rallies in an immigrant-heavy region where the administration’s strict deportation policies face local resistance. The race served as a test of Florida’s political balance after Republicans built a 1.5 million-voter advantage in registrations.
Polling prior to the election showed Moody holding a narrow lead. Democrats had been shut out of statewide races for a decade, making this contest a measure of their progress in re-establishing the state as a battleground. The result leaves the Senate seat firmly in Republican hands.
