Angie Nixon is the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Florida, running from the far left with a platform of Medicare for all and taxing billionaires. She won the Democratic primary over a more moderate candidate last month, sending the party scrambling. Now she faces a Republican opponent with far deeper pockets and a state where Democrats have not won a statewide election since 2018.
Nixon joined the Democratic Socialists of America in June. Her recent NPR interview offered a more personal framing than a political one. When asked how she would describe herself, she replied: “I label myself as a Democrat, as a former single mom, as someone who was determined to help improve the quality of life for all Floridians and all Americans in this country.”
The Numbers Against Her
Florida is solidly red. There are 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats in the state. A Democrat has not won a statewide election here since 2018.
Nixon’s own campaign started slowly. She entered the primary raising just shy of a million dollars. Her Republican opponent, Ashley Moody, has some 11 million dollars for her campaign.
Susan MacManus, a political science professor who studies Florida politics, says turnout will be the deciding factor in this midterm race between two politically savvy candidates. Democrats need to pull crossover votes from Republicans and make inroads into the nearly 30% of Floridians who are registered as no party affiliation or with minor parties.
“It’s Florida, you know?”
That is Gabe Henson’s take. He voted for Nixon, describing her as a grassroots candidate, and expressed optimism but worry about her chances.
The Grassroots Base
Justin and Jessica Edwards, sipping a drink under a tree, say they don’t know what will get people to change their mind and move away from the status quo. Jessica Edwards believes a Democrat needs to be loud and direct about what they want to happen.
MacManus notes that many immigrant groups fled socialist governments. That history shapes the electorate. The Hispanic population in South Florida is particularly negative toward socialism.
Brett Doster, a Republican strategist, predicts challenger Ashley Moody’s campaign will hammer the socialist label. Moody has already used it. On a recent Fox News appearance, she called Nixon the most radical, extreme senator ever to step foot on the United States Senate floor.
The Race’s Timeline
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Nixon joins Democratic Socialists of America | June |
| Nixon wins Democratic primary | Last month |
| Moody calls Nixon ‘most radical, extreme’ senator | Recent Fox News appearance |
| NPR interview with Nixon | Recent |
The timeline shows a candidate who has moved fast. She won the primary, joined the DSA, and answered questions about her identity within months. Moody has responded with a familiar warning: she will run on the socialist label.
What Nixon Needs to Win
Nixon is not a moderate Democrat. She is running openly from the far left. That is her strength and her risk. The question is whether her base is big enough to overcome the state’s Republican advantage.
MacManus points to the crossover vote as the path forward. Democrats need to reach the nearly 30% of Floridians who are registered as no party affiliation or with minor parties.
The other path is turnout. If Democrats can get their base to show up at the polls in greater numbers than usual, Nixon could overcome the money gap. Moody has some 11 million dollars for her campaign.
Nixon will need to match that effort with grassroots energy. The odds are long.
Whether that happens here depends on whether Nixon can convince voters she is worth the risk. The socialist label is a blunt instrument. Nixon’s answer so far has been to define herself as a Democrat, a former single mom, and someone who cares about improving lives. Whether that is enough to overcome the state’s Republican advantage remains to be seen.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs narrow rules against direct harm to consumers and startups, such as forcing companies to disclose safety failures they hid, and is against broad rules that hand the market to the incumbents. In Florida’s Senate race, the paper sees a similar dynamic at work: a challenger with a grassroots base and a moderate Democrat’s fundraising disadvantage facing an incumbent with deep pockets and a state where Democrats have not won a statewide election since 2018.
The race pits a candidate running openly from the far left against an opponent with far deeper resources. The incumbent’s strategy mirrors the paper’s concern about concentration of power: she has already labeled her opponent as the most radical senator ever, a blunt instrument aimed at freezing out the challenger before the election. The paper would warn against broad rules that hand the market to the incumbents, and here the incumbent is doing the same thing in politics.
The paper wants voters to see the race through its own lens: a fight over who gets to shape the future, not just which side wins. The socialist label is a blunt instrument, and the paper would urge readers to look past it to the real stakes — the ability of ordinary people to challenge the establishment, and the risks of letting a few powerful voices decide who gets a seat at the table.
Source material: “Could a far left candidate win a midterm race in a red state like Florida?,” NPR.
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