Florida Senate: Voters Choose Between Moody and Nixon for Rubio's Old Seat

Florida voters on Tuesday are choosing between Republican Ashley Moody and Democrat Angie Nixon for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio. The contest closes a chapter that began when Rubio left the chamber to join President Donald Trump's cabinet after the 2024 elections.

Governor Ron DeSantis named Moody to the seat, and she has campaigned for the balance of the term since entering the race earlier this year. The victor on Tuesday night holds the office through January 2029.

Moody previously served as Florida's attorney general. Her campaign centers on that record and her backing for conservative policy positions. This marks her first statewide bid for the Senate among Florida voters.

Nixon sits in the Florida House of Representatives and aligns with the Democratic Socialists of America. Before the primaries she was little known beyond Jacksonville, yet she pulled an upset over Alex Vindman, who had been favored for the nomination. Late endorsements and a final push carried her to the party's ballot line.

The outcome carries weight for both parties. A Moody win would keep the statewide seat in Republican hands after Rubio's exit. A Nixon victory would hand Democrats a breakthrough in a state where Republicans have controlled recent statewide elections, a contest tracked closely across the 2026 midterms.

The seat's history runs through Trump's cabinet reshuffle. Rubio held it until his appointment to the administration following the 2024 elections, DeSantis then installed Moody, and the voters now decide who finishes the term.