State Representative Angie Nixon of Jacksonville, a progressive firebrand who ran an underdog campaign, won the Democratic nomination for Senate in Florida, according to The Associated Press, the latest left-wing victory against establishment Democrats.
In a huge upset, Ms. Nixon, 42, defeated Alex Vindman, a former national security official who was a top witness in President Trump’s first impeachment trial. His entry was largely welcomed by Democratic Party leaders hoping to make Florida, which leans right, at least competitive this fall. Mr. Vindman far out-raised Ms. Nixon and was the clear front-runner in the race.
But there was no public polling ahead of the primary. Pollsters most likely saw little upside to spending money in a state that President Trump won by 13 percentage points in 2024.
Ms. Nixon, a union organizer, ran a grass-roots campaign, often driving herself to events across the state — clad in her signature hot pink outfits — and relying on volunteers and union members for field organizing. In a low-turnout primary, they bet that reaching enough Democratic voters directly, and talking to them about issues such as unaffordable health care and child care, would drive them to the polls to support Ms. Nixon.
The strategy succeeded: Ms. Nixon defeated Mr. Vindman across Florida’s urban counties, including Miami-Dade and Broward, where Mr. Vindman has lived since he moved to the state in 2023.
“We came up short, but we have Angie Nixon,” Mr. Vindman told supporters inside an American Legion hall near Fort Lauderdale in his concession speech on Tuesday night. “Rep. Nixon ran a strong campaign. She challenged the status quo. She put in the hard work, and tonight, she earned the nomination.”
Ms. Nixon rolled to victory despite an enormous fund-raising disparity. She raised about $975,000 during the campaign, while Mr. Vindman, powered by a national donor network, raised $16.3 million. Mr. Vindman was so confident in winning Tuesday that he had a fund-raiser scheduled for Sunday in Nantucket, Mass., as he prepared for a costly general election.
That general election will now happen without him.
Ms. Nixon acknowledged the spending gap in her victory speech at her watch party in Jacksonville. “We have proved that everyday people are more powerful than corporations and billionaires,” she said, after being introduced by her mother.
“We were outspent 16 to 1, and we won,” she added. “This win was for the little guys and girls.”
Ms. Nixon, who joined the Democratic Socialists of America in June, will now test whether a progressive can win over moderate Democrats, as well as independents and crossover Republicans, in an increasingly red state.
She will challenge Senator Ashley Moody, the Republican incumbent, in November.
In Jacksonville, where Ms. Nixon held her watch party, a big crowd jumped as they watched the results on television. “This is what democracy looks like,” they chanted.
“She’s for the people,” said Kaydene Williams, who attended the party. “She makes herself available to the people.”
Although Ms. Moody is the sitting senator, Democrats see her as potentially vulnerable in a tough midterm year for Republicans. She has held the position only since last year, having been appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, after Marco Rubio left the post to become secretary of state. She remains little known among Florida voters, polls show, even after winning two terms as the state’s attorney general.
But Republicans have clear structural advantages in Florida elections, including more robust fund-raising and field organization. And Democrats have tended to bet on moderates to unseat Republican incumbents.
In her victory speech, Ms. Nixon called out her opponent, saying Ms. Moody could call her and her supporters “whatever she wants.”
“But in November, she will call me ‘senator,’” she added.
Susan Cooper Eastman contributed reporting from Jacksonville, Fla.
