Vice President JD Vance told a Lakeland crowd Thursday that state Rep. Angie Nixon doesn’t “belong in America,” drawing a sharp rebuke from the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate.
Vance, visiting the state for a midterm rally with the GOP governor candidate, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, and Nixon’s opponent, U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, criticized Nixon for having called herself a Democratic socialist.
“I think the right response is to say, then get the hell out of here. You don’t belong in America,” Vance said to applause.
Nixon, an African American and a Jacksonville native, fired back on social media.
“The most ordinary man imaginable came to my home state to tell me to ‘get out of America’ while he & Absent Ashley enjoyed the comfort of buildings my ancestors helped build,” Nixon wrote. “Imagine standing on the shoulders of the people who built this country & then telling their descendants they don’t belong here.”
“They can take their tech-bro cash and their weird, intrusive agenda somewhere else, because I’m not going any damn place,” she added.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon campaigns during a tour of the Little Havana neighborhood on August 15, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The back-and-forth with Vance came one day after Democratic leaders criticized Moody for avoiding constituents and for her involvement in the Hope Florida scandal.
On the steps in front of the Old Capitol, behind a sign that asked “Where is Ashley Moody?” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried and Rep. Gallop Franklin II, D-Tallahassee, accused Moody of dodging questions from reporters and avoiding public town hall meetings 34 days before the midterm election.
They contrasted Moody’s campaign with that of Nixon’s.
“Meanwhile, Angie Nixon has been crisscrossing the state, knocking doors, holding town halls, and talking to reporters,” Fried said. “Ashley Moody should take a page out of Angie Nixon’s book. Stop hiding behind attacks. Show up and talk to the people you work for, because Ashley Moody is asking Floridians for their vote, and if she won’t answer their questions, they’ll give her their answer in November.”
Moody was elected as state attorney general in 2018 and reelected in 2022. In January 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to replace Marco Rubio, who left the Senate to become Secretary of State.
Fried also cited Moody’s involvement in the Hope Florida scandal.
A grand jury found the DeSantis administration in 2024 “misappropriated” $10 million of taxpayer funds for political purposes, but no charges were filed against anyone.
Moody was attorney general at the time and her office approved of the settlement with a Medicaid provider that diverted $10 million into a nonprofit, the Hope Florida Foundation, that immediately transferred the money to two groups that then gave the money to a political committee headed by James Uthmeier. At the time, Uthmeier was DeSantis’ chief of staff and was tapped by DeSantis to replace Moody as attorney general.
“Floridians deserve a senator who will listen, who shows up, who answers their questions. Ashley Moody won’t show up for Florida, so this November, Florida will show her the door,” Fried said.
U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is running to fill the remainder of now Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s term after having been appointed to the position in 2025. (Courtesy Moody Campaign)
Last week, Moody told the News Service of Florida that as Florida’s junior senator she will “keep fighting” for her constituents in Washington D.C.
“Winning an election means people want to send you to Washington to be their voice, to be their representative. I have got to make sure I am engaging with folks and convincing them that, yes, we have delivered on so many meaningful things,” Moody said.
Earlier this month, Moody declined to debate Nixon, telling Action News Jax she would bring attention to a “self-proclaimed socialist.”
“Socialist Angie Nixon repeatedly quotes cop killers. Her ‘Cafe Resistance’ bookstore celebrates them. To every LEO and their family, I will ALWAYS support you. We have to get this right in 34 days, Florida,” Moody said in a social media post on Wednesday.
The winner of the U.S. Senate race will serve the remaining two years of Rubio’s term before facing reelection in 2028.
Orlando Sentinel staff contributed to this report.