Republican Ashley Moody won election Tuesday to the U.S. Senate from Florida, defeating Democrat Angie Nixon in the 2026 midterms. Moody was appointed to the seat after Marco Rubio joined Trump's Cabinet and will serve the last two years of his term.
Republican Ashley Moody won election Tuesday to the U.S. Senate representing Florida, defeating Democrat Angie Nixon. The race was part of the 2026 midterm elections. Moody, a former state attorney general, will serve the last two years of the term Rubio won in 2022. The seat will be on the ballot again in 2028 for a full term.
How Moody came to the seat
The seat was originally Marco Rubio's, before he was appointed to President Donald Trump's cabinet after the 2024 elections. Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped Moody to succeed Rubio when he became U.S. secretary of state in 2025. Moody had won two statewide elections for attorney general, but it was her first time on the ballot for the Senate.
The Democratic challenger and the state's political landscape
Nixon, a state lawmaker, is a democratic socialist who upset the establishment Democrats' more moderate favorite in the primary. Democrats have not won a Senate race in Florida since 2012. Republicans have built a 1.5 million-voter advantage in registrations in Florida. Democrats have also been shut out in statewide races for a decade.
