Republican Ashley Moody wins Florida special Senate election — The Guardian

Republican Ashley Moody defeated Democratic socialist Angie Nixon in the special election for the U.S. Senate in Florida. Moody will retain the seat in the upper chamber of Congress until the 2028 election, The Guardian reports.

Rubio’s term

This is Moody’s first electoral victory since her appointment by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in January 2025. She took office after Marco Rubio became U.S. Secretary of State and will complete his Senate term.

Before the vote, polls gave Moody a clear, though narrow, advantage. The race was also seen as a test of whether Florida remains a reliably Republican state. The Republican Party has an advantage of 1.5 million registered voters, while Democrats have not won a statewide election for ten years.

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The rivals’ campaigns

Nixon ran a campaign focused on affordability and corruption in politics. She was endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke at rallies in central Florida.

Moody called her opponent a “socialist” and criticized her ties to the Democratic Socialists of America organization. She claimed that Nixon allegedly supports cutting funding for the police and the U.S. armed forces, abolishing prisons, uncontrolled immigration, and the right of non-citizens to vote.

For her part, Nixon referred to Moody’s work as Florida attorney general in connection with the so-called Hope Florida scandal. The Guardian reports that the DeSantis administration directed a $10 million Medicaid payment to political committees.