Progressive Outsider Angie Nixon Stuns Democrats, Wins Florida Senate Primary

In a surprise upset that shook the Democratic Party establishment, progressive state legislator Angie Nixon won Florida’s Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. She defeated Alexander Vindman, a former Army intelligence officer and key witness in Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial. Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), ran a grassroots campaign with far less money than her opponent. By late July, she had raised $975,000, compared to Vindman’s $16.3 million, according to Florida Politics. Vindman, who served on the National Security Council during Trump’s first term, became a public figure after testifying about Trump’s pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden. Nixon will now face Republican Ashley Moody in the November general election. Moody, appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to replace Marco Rubio after he became Secretary of State, won her primary with little opposition. Nixon is known for her strong opposition to DeSantis. This spring, she took part in a sit-in at the governor’s office to protest Republican-drawn electoral maps. That protest led to misdemeanor charges of trespassing and resisting arrest, which she is fighting in court. Her campaign focused on local issues and criticized Vindman for refusing to debate her. “Floridians do not want the Washington DC establishment to decide who their Democratic candidate and senator will be,” Nixon told the Tampa Bay Times. “I am willing to debate. He is not.” Vindman conceded the race and praised Nixon on social media. “She ran a solid campaign,” he wrote. “I will stand by her side in the fight against Ashley Moody.” The win adds to a series of primary victories for DSA-backed candidates across the country, including in Philadelphia, Colorado, Michigan, and New York. However, not all progressive candidates succeeded in Florida. Establishment Democrats won several other key races. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee, defeated 27-year-old progressive Elijah Manley. Centrist Congressman Jared Moskowitz also beat a democratic socialist rival, Oliver Larkin. Nixon’s victory signals a growing divide within the Democratic Party between its progressive wing and its more centrist establishment. National Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have publicly congratulated Nixon, highlighting her background as a union organizer. “We did it, folks,” Nixon posted on Tuesday night. “Thank you to everyone who put their heart into this campaign.”