Ashley Moody wins Florida Senate special election over Angie Nixon

Republican Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon in the special election for the Florida U.S. Senate seat formerly occupied by Marco Rubio. NBC News projected Moody's victory as the candidate who was considered the overwhelming favorite heading into the general election. Nixon, a candidate aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, had won the Democratic primary in an upset but faced a substantial cash disadvantage during the final stretch of the campaign.

Moody relied on her fundraising advantage to dominate the airwaves in a state with 23 million residents. High advertising costs are often seen as a key factor in winning statewide races in Florida. Nixon, by contrast, focused on in-person events and became a regular presence on center-left podcasts and traditional state media. Her surprise primary win had drawn national attention from progressives who saw her as a potential foothold in a state where Democrats have not won a Senate race since 2012.

Critics of the Republican campaign pointed to Moody's limited public schedule. She declined to debate Nixon and held fewer public events than her opponent. Nikki Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party, urged Moody to engage directly with voters during an October news conference in Tallahassee. "Ashley Moody should take a page out of Angie Nixon’s book," Fried said. "Stop hiding behind attacks. Show up and talk to the people you work for, because Ashley Moody is asking Floridians for their vote, and if she won’t answer their questions, they’ll give her their answer in November."

A sign at Fried's event read "Where is Ashley Moody?" This criticism coincided with scrutiny of Moody's ties to the Hope Florida scandal. That controversy involved $10 million from a Medicaid settlement being directed to a charity linked to Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis. The funds were later used by a political committee to oppose a 2024 ballot measure for recreational marijuana legalization. Moody, then the state attorney general, signed off on the deal. She has denied any wrongdoing, and no charges were brought after a state prosecutor empaneled a grand jury to review the matter.

Moody’s campaign focused heavily on Nixon's political alignment. Ads argued that Nixon was too liberal for a state that now has 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats. One spot featured a narrator stating, "Angie Nixon is actually a socialist," while citing DSA issues like abolishing the police. Nixon publicly distanced herself from that specific policy, saying she does not want to abolish the police.

Moody has previously won two statewide elections for attorney general, making this her first run for the Senate. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the seat after Rubio was tapped to serve in President Trump's Cabinet. Moody will serve the final two years of the term Rubio won in 2022. The seat will return to the ballot in 2028 for a full term.