Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon spoke to students and community members in the Marshall Student Center’s Oval Theatre on Oct. 4. ORACLE PHOTO/AYRON ESPINO-NARDI

On Sunday night, the Marshall Student Center’s Oval Theatre was full for a student rally for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon.

The event was co-organized by USF Tampa College Democrats and Bulls for Angie, a non-USF affiliated campus campaign team.

The event featured a speech by Nixon, along with a question-and-answer segment and a line for attendees to take pictures with her at the end. 

Nixon is from Jacksonville and currently serves as the State Representative for District 13 in the Florida House of Representatives. 

She announced her campaign in January and won the Democratic nomination in an upset win over Alex Vindman in August.

She will now be facing Republican incumbent Ashley Moody in the upcoming general election on November 3, 2026. Moody was appointed to the seat by Governor Ron DeSantis in early 2025 to replace Marco Rubio after he became Secretary of State.

Zander Moricz, the Youth Director of Nixon’s campaign, said that USF is kicking off Nixon’s student town hall series.

During her 22-minute speech, Nixon talked about her campaign priorities, such as affordable housing, universal child and healthcare, halting the construction of data centers and support of the working class.

“We have the opportunity to build a new vision where every family has stability,” Nixon said during her speech. “[Where] every young person has dignity, and every worker has dignity, and everyone has the opportunity to reach the true American dream.”

Nixon said that she was excited that students were getting involved in politics.

“The young people are fired up and ready to vote,” Nixon said after the event in an interview with The Oracle. “I’m just excited that we’re going to win this thing in November, and it’s going to be the young people to help us do it.”

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Attendees began lining up in the MSC Ballroom at 6:30 p.m., before they were allowed into the Oval Theatre for the 8 p.m. event.

After a performance by the Bay Area Drum Academy Drumline, Nixon took the stage at 8:06 p.m. with Tampa rapper Doechii’s “Nissan Altima” playing in the background. 

Emma Van Hook, a junior secondary science education major, said she wanted to attend the rally because she has enjoyed following Nixon’s campaign.

“As someone who is a woman, and also someone who’s part of the LGBTQ community, and as someone who’s going to be a future educator, all of these issues are very important to me,” she said.

She also said she has a lot of friends in Florida who are concerned with issues surrounding women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and teacher salaries.

“The past few years, ever since Donald Trump has been elected into office, have been very difficult for this nation,” she said. “And I feel like we need someone in office who is going to bring new life and hope, and I really see that with Angie.”

During her speech, Nixon pushed back on the Trump administration’s “Make America Great Again” message.

“We are literally in a time where people in Washington, D.C., are saying things like, ‘Make America great again. Take us back to the good old days,’” Nixon said. “But I’m looking at this very diverse crowd and I realize that the good old days are not really good enough for people that look like us.”

Her rally came less than a week after Vice President JD Vance said at a rally in Lakeland that if Nixon calls herself a socialist, “the right response is to say, ‘Then get the hell out of here. You don’t belong in America,’” according to WLRN.

“JD Vance told me to get out of this country,” Nixon said during her speech. “They don’t want people here that either don’t look like them or don’t think like them, but I’m here to remind y’all that this is our country too.”

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Dimitri Bernadotte, who graduated from USF in June with a degree in marketing and real estate, said he came to the rally because he likes Nixon’s policies and campaign.

“I think a big thing for me personally is just money in politics and how she’s been against a lot of that,” Bernadotte said. “[I’m] really excited to hopefully see a change in Florida.”

Nixon has not accepted corporate PAC donations, according to Action News Jax.

Stronger Safer Nation, a super PAC supporting Moody’s campaign, has spent nearly $2.7 million on ads targeting Nixon according to the Tampa Bay Times.

During her speech, Nixon said the attack ads against her are lies.

“Why would I want to defund the police and abolish prisons when I want Ashley Moody to be locked up in one?” she said.

Jenna Moseng, who graduated from USF this summer with a bachelor’s degree in health sciences and a concentration in social and behavioral science, said she and Bernadotte are both involved in their local Democratic Socialists of America chapters in Pinellas County.

Both Bernadotte and Moseng said they have been canvassing door to door and handing out fliers to support Nixon’s campaign.

“Angie Nixon just feels like she’s a voice for the people,” Moseng said. “She seems like a glimmer of hope in what seems to be kind of a bleak outlook.”

Nixon said during her speech that she understands that while the state of politics may seem bleak, there is hope out there.

“We can build a world where everyone is healthy. Everyone is prosperous.” she said. Everyone is safe, everyone has the opportunity to experience joy and rest. That can happen. Don’t let these politicians tell you that it’s hard to get stuff moved.”