Although Angie Nixon wasn’t among the Democrats who helped her party reclaim the US Senate on Tuesday, the democratic socialist’s near-win in Florida—without establishment support—sent a clear message about what might be possible in the Sunshine State going forward.
After a “stunning” primary victory over establishment-backed Lt. Col. Alex Vindman in August, Nixon—a 42-year-old Black businesswoman and state representative from Jacksonville who belongs to both Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party (WFP)—secured 48% of the vote in the general election, compared with Republican Sen. Ashley Moody’s 50.9%, with over 95% of ballots tallied as of Wednesday afternoon.
Nixon refused to back off her progressive platform after her primary win, continuing to campaign on Medicare for All, free childcare, paid family and sick leave, a national rent freeze and eviction moratorium, a universal jobs program, ending wars, getting big money out of politics, and taxing billionaires in a state written off by the Democratic Party throughout the 21st Century.
“I’m proud of the race we ran. We helped drive turnout and broke the supermajority in the state House and Senate. 2028 is around the corner. LFG!” Nixon said on social media late Tuesday. “We invested in grassroots organizers and partnered with candidates down ballot. I’m so proud of the work we did helping to flip 17 House seats. Many of whom were candidates we partnered with in the primary. Imagine what would have happened if we had more investment early on.”
As people across the country took note of her close race—and some called out the national Democratic Party and its leadership for not pouring into the contest—Nixon added early Wednesday, “Invest in the South.”
Jonathan Cohn, political director of the group Progressive Mass, said on social media that “Angie Nixon sadly didn’t win, but for a race the national party did not invest in, she did damn well.”
Amanda Litman, president of Run for Something, which recruits and supports young Democrats to seek elected office, said that she’s “not sure there’s a federal candidate in the country who worked as hard—with as little national help—as Angie Nixon. What a star.”
Stressing that Florida, now Trump’s home state, “is the absolute epicenter of MAGA,” political commentator Kyle Kulinski highlighted that “a democratic socialist nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in political history. What a tremendous campaign from Angie Nixon.”
WFP national director Maurice Mitchell said in a statement that “we are incredibly proud of Angie’s campaign and our part in it. But there is no hiding our anger, because this race was winnable.”
“In the face of outsized spending and racist attacks, Angie’s people-centered campaign came within inches of defeating an incumbent senator,” he emphasized. “The Democratic establishment failed to invest in Angie, because she wasn’t their preferred candidate.”
“The Working Families Party is proud to have been the first national organization to endorse Angie,” he continued, “and we’re committed to recruiting and running powerful leaders like her all across the South.”
Some critics directly called out Senate Minority Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who’s expected to lead the chamber again when Democrats officially reclaim their majority in January.
“Never forget that Angie Nixon lost by three points after being snubbed by Schumer and the Dem establishment for running on a progressive, DSA-backed platform this cycle,” said Jack Petocz, senior director of programs and communications at Gen-Z for Change.
Although Schumer didn’t bother with the race, Nixon was endorsed by national leftist leaders, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Emerita Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).
As the results rolled in late Tuesday, Jeremy Slevin, Sanders’ communications director and senior adviser, pointed out that “Bernie held four rallies for Angie Nixon, had four staffers on the ground, contributed $330,000 to support her directly, and raised another $266,000. She’s currently within about 2 points. Imagine if the establishment hadn’t written this race off.”
Jayapal said late Tuesday that “even though Angie Nixon did not pull it out, she ran an incredibly competitive race, and drove up votes down ballot for other candidates. She was underestimated and overspent at every step, but she never stopped being who she was and running on bold, progressive values. Thank you, Angie!!”
At The American Prospect, Naomi Bethune and James Baratta noted that “Moody will have to run again for a full term in 2028. Given how close the matchup between Moody and Nixon ended up, the energetic progressive insurgent is expected to try again.”
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