The United States Senate race for Florida has been decided. With 90 percent of precincts reporting, Decision Desk HQ has projected that Sen. Ashley Moody (R) has won the Senate seat, defeating Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-backed Democrat Angie Nixon 50 percent to 48 percent.

In January 2025, then-Florida Attorney General Moody was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to fill the seat vacated by then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R) after he was nominated for Secretary of State. This special election was to choose a candidate to complete the final two years of Rubio's term. Gov. DeSantis was the first out of the gate to congratulate his former attorney general.

Democrats were hopeful that this Senate seat could be a potential flip, and they expected that Lt. Col. Alex Vindman would be the one to do this. Instead, Nixon, a Jacksonville state representative, swooped in on a DSA platform of Medicare for All, free childcare, paid family and sick leave, and a national rent freeze. Nixon defeated Vindman in the August primary, setting up the contest between Moody and Nixon.

Nixon, like many of her DSA counterparts, came off passionate, flamboyant, and cocksure. This approach resulted in more than a few cases of foot-in-mouth disease, like when Nixon could not answer whether Cuba is a socialist dictatorship, when she is running in a state full of emigres who have fled Cuba. 

Toward the end, Nixon went from optics issues to ethical ones. A watchdog group is seeking to look over the books of a charity Nixon formed, which raised $271,000, but there allegedly is no accounting for where the money was distributed. Nixon is also facing a Department of Justice investigation surrounding these monies.

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The Republican National Committee (RNC) issued the following statement on Moody’s win:

“Congratulations to Senator Ashley Moody on a well-fought victory. As a fifth-generation Floridian, tough-on-crime Attorney General, and proven leader in the U.S. Senate, Moody has a record of fighting for Florida and saving the Sunshine State from socialism.” - RNC Spokeswoman Emma Hall