By Ahmed Abdelsalam
Republican Ashley Moody defeated progressive challenger Angie Nixon in Florida's special election for the U.S. Senate, securing the seat previously held by Marco Rubio. Moody will serve the remainder of Rubio's term until the 2028 election; Rubio became U.S. secretary of state in January 2025.
Appointment and race context
Moody was appointed to the seat by Governor Ron DeSantis in January 2025 after Rubio's departure. The contest was widely viewed as a test of whether Florida remains reliably Republican, with the GOP holding a 1.5 million-voter registration advantage, or if Democrats could regain ground in a state they have lost in statewide races for a decade.
Campaign dynamics
Pre-election polling gave Moody a clear but narrow lead. Nixon, a democratic socialist, sought to close the gap with support from prominent progressive figures; Senators Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rallied with her in central Florida last month, an area with a large immigrant population where the Trump administration's detention and deportation policies have been unpopular.
Key issues and rhetoric
Moody focused her campaign on labeling Nixon a "socialist" and tying her to the Democratic Socialists of America, arguing that alignment signaled support for defunding police and the military, abolishing prisons, and unchecked immigration. Moody praised Trump's immigration policies but largely avoided personal praise for the former president, who faces low approval ratings over the Iran war and high gas prices.
Scandal and viral moment
Nixon campaigned on affordability and political corruption, repeatedly highlighting Moody's role as Florida attorney general in the so-called Hope Florida scandal, in which DeSantis's administration diverted a $10 million Medicaid payout to political committees. Nixon's remark — "I don't want to abolish prisons, because I want Ashley Moody in one of them" — became one of the campaign's most viral moments.
