Democratic Socialist Gets Outraised 16-to-1, Wins Florida Senate Nomination Anyway

No one bothered polling for the primary. Alex Vindman—the Democratic Party’s state and national leaders’ pick for battling for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat in November—was a fundraising juggernaut, bringing in $16 million ahead of yesterday’s primary, and having already scheduled another fundraiser for the general election. His opponent, state Rep. Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville), raised less than $1 million.

The result, however, wasn’t even close. Nixon, who joined the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) just two months ago, beat Vindman—a key witness during Trump’s impeachment inquiry—by more than 12 percentage points on Tuesday. A union organizer who represents a district around Tallahassee, Nixon relied heavily on volunteers to get the word out about her underdog campaign, often driving herself to campaign events across the state.

“We showed the world what organized people can accomplish, and we showed the world what people of Florida are all about,” she told supporters—many of whom were also dressed in her signature pink—in her victory speech. “Medicare for all, universal childcare, real affordable housing, fully funded public education, and an end to senseless wars.”

Still, Nixon faces an uphill battle as the turnout for the Democratic nomination trailed that of the Republican primary by a significant amount in a state that has become much redder over the last decade. She’ll face incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody (R) in November.

Moody, a two-term Florida attorney general who was appointed to the Senate seat last year when Marco Rubio became Secretary of State, won her primary handily. While Democratic leadership clearly would have preferred the more moderate candidate to face her, the latest general election poll by the University of Florida had Nixon performing better against Moody than Vindman (down 50/42 vs. 50/40).

The battle between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic party has swung both directions this cycle, with more left-leaning Senate candidates winning in places like Florida, Maine and Michigan—while another DSA candidate, Francesca Hong, was recently upset in Wisconsin. Both strategies will get their chance to prove themselves in November as the upper chamber’s future hangs in the balance.

Elsewhere in the state, two sitting U.S. representatives, Jarod Moskowitz (D) and Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D), fended off progressive, anti-Israel opponents in two newly drawn South Florida districts—through a map that Nixon protested with a sit-in at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office.

Nixon is the state’s first Black woman to win a major party nomination for Senate.

“We have proved that everyday people are more powerful than corporations and billionaires,” she said Tuesday. “Together, we went up against the political establishment, against millions of dollars, out of state spending. We were outspent 16 to 1, and we won.”

Keep scrolling for more great stories.