Ashley Moody

Progressive state Rep. Angie Nixon won the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination in Florida.

Nixon, a Democratic Socialist, will face Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody in the general election.

Nixon faces challenges in a Republican-leaning state, including funding and the "socialist" label among Hispanic voters.

For years, Florida rapidly grew to be a deep red state at the forefront of culture war battles and conservative reforms to higher education. That, plus its evolution into a Republican powerhouse of major party leaders, is one of many reasons why national Democrats haven't put much money or resources into the state.

That’s until Black progressive state Rep. Angie Nixon, who recently joined the Democratic Socialists of America, pulled off a win with a 12 percentage point margin for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination — in a state packed with many centrist Democratic elected officials.

She’ll be going against Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the seat vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Nixon's primary race is one example of how national infighting in the Democratic Party between progressive and longtime establishment candidates is leaning in favor of progressives, at least based on how Democrats are voting. Florida is a closed primary state, meaning only voters registered with a party can vote for that party's candidates.

Democratic socialists believe that the economy should be for the public’s benefit by democratic decision-making, and that the government should have a role in addressing housing, healthcare and other quality-of-life issues.

Although she attained prominent progressive endorsements – U.S. Reps. Maxwell Frost of Florida, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota – her win came as a surprise since she raised under $1 million in her grassroots campaign. Her competitor, retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, got $16 million in contributions.

But will her message survive a general election in the state? At her Jacksonville election party, Nixon reiterated her focus on guaranteeing healthcare, abolishing ICE and taxing the rich.

"We showed the world what people of Florida are all about: Medicare for all, universal childcare, real affordable housing, fully funded public education and an end to senseless wars," Nixon said.

Republicans, including Moody, weren't sweating it.

"Angie Nixon, who will be my opponent in November, and her comrades want to destroy this country and everything that it is built on. I am not exaggerating," she said to attendees at her Plant City election party. "There could not be a more extreme difference in candidates than what will be on the ballot this November in the state of Florida."

On top of competing in a state friendly to GOPers, Nixon’s bound to face funding challenges and concerns from key Hispanic communities who fear the “socialist” label, while support from traditional, centrist Democrats may be in question.

Who is Angie Nixon?

Nixon was born and raised in Jacksonville. She was first elected to the Florida House in 2020, where she’s embraced her role as a progressive firebrand.

But she’s also faced backlash for it. Over the summer, she was reprimanded by a House panel after trying to block a congressional redistricting vote by marching down the center aisle of the Florida House chamber blaring a bullhorn.

She also is going to court next month for staging a sit-in at the governor's office, after which she was charged with trespassing and resisting an officer without violence.

What to watch in Florida U.S. Senate general election

The November contest will be the first time two women with major party nominations face off in a U.S. Senate election in Florida.

Currently statewide, registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by 1.5 million, but the impact of democratic socialist candidates is an unknown. Candidates who identify as more progressive, including Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan or Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota’s Senate race, may revise their messaging in efforts to unite Democrats, independents and some right-leaning voters when going into a general election.

The same strategy she had for the primary won't translate into the general, said Sean Freeder, a pollster who heads the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab.

"I think she's got a really tough road ahead in order to turn this into a competitive race," Freeder said. "It's in the realm of what I'd say very difficult, but not impossible."

In Florida, it may be "highly unlikely" to survive as a left-wing candidate, said Steve Vancore, a longtime Florida political analyst and pollster. But he said Nixon's candidacy could help turnout for down-ballot races, such as for farther-left Democrats who traditionally wouldn't have been motivated to go vote.

Election handicapper Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifted Florida’s U.S. Senate race to “safely Republican” from “likely,” clearly wary of how the democratic socialist label will play.

"But young left-learning Democrats will be more enthusiastic and that could help Jolly and others," Vancore added, referring to Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly.

The unknown impact is especially concerning in South Florida communities, where many Hispanic voters shiver at the mere mention of socialism. There, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan, Colombian and Cuban communities fear any form of socialism, after fleeing violent, authoritarian regimes.

Nixon may hit a “brick wall” in South Florida, said Rolando Barrero, the former president of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida. Voters from these Latin American communities associate socialism “not with the academic ideology, but with the results, which have always turned out to be negative for their communities.”

She “needs a major sledgehammer to break it down, and that is making sure she stays on message and doesn’t talk about ideology,” Barrero said.

John Kennedy contributed. This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA TODAY Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Stephany Matat is based in Tallahassee, Fla. She can be reached at [email protected]. On X: @stephanymatat.