State Rep. Angie Nixon notched a stunning upset win in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate over retired Lt. Col. Alex Vindman.
The Associated Press called the race for Nixon just after 8 p.m., when polls closed in the Panhandle. Nixon had 55% of the vote to Vindman’s 45%. She will challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody in November’s general election.
Early in the race, Vindman, who served as a star witness during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, took a substantial fundraising lead. By primary day, he’d raised more than $18 million to Nixon’s estimated $1 million.
But Nixon, a progressive and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, saw a swell of late momentum as other candidates from the party’s left flank started surging across the country.
She’s spent her career in the Florida House, where Democrats have a super-minority, notching symbolic victories against Gov. Ron DeSantis’ agenda as it bulldozed forward. In her fight against Republican-led redistricting, for example, she staged a sit-in at DeSantis’ office and brought a pink bullhorn to the House floor.
Vindman, meanwhile, is a military veteran and whistleblower who has built name recognition through appearances on national news shows as a Ukraine expert.
The contest between the two Democrats raised the same questions the party has been grappling with nationwide about whether a well-funded moderate or a scrappy progressive will perform better against a Republican incumbent.
But Florida Democrats made a definitive choice Tuesday. Her victory will likely raise big questions for state Democrats about why they underestimated Nixon, the more progressive candidate.
Moody is an established figure in Republican politics, having been elected twice as Florida attorney general. Still, November will mark the first time she’ll have to win her Senate seat after DeSantis appointed her to the position vacated by Marco Rubio when he became secretary of state.
This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.
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