The state of Florida has set up an interesting race to fill the Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio, when he became Secretary of State.
Former Attorney General Ashley Moody has replaced Rubio, but without any major impact or influence, so there is a possibility that the surprise Democratic nominee, state Representative Angie Nixon, could win the seat for the two remaining years of the term, until the next Senate election in 2028.
Angie Nixon, who is African American, and allies with the “Democratic Socialists”, surprisingly easily overcame her opponent, former National Security aide Alex Vindman, who had sixteen times the amount of funding, but simply did not inspire or attract voters, and lost by 150,000 votes and a 12 percentage margin.
The concern is whether a candidate who links with the “Socialist” label, and in a heavily Republican state in the past 15 years, can possibly overcome Ashley Moody. In either case, Florida will have a woman Senator, with Moody already the second woman to be a Florida Senator, after one term Senator Paula Hawkins, like Moody a Republican, who served from 1981-1987.