{"id":132168,"date":"2026-01-26T14:30:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/132168\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T14:30:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:30:07","slug":"angie-nixon-to-run-for-democratic-nomination-for-u-s-senate-tallahassee-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/132168\/","title":{"rendered":"Angie Nixon to run for Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate \u2013 Tallahassee Reports"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Mitch Perry, The Florida Phoenix <\/p>\n

Jacksonville state Rep. Angie Nixon announced Thursday that she is running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate this year.<\/p>\n

The seat is now held by Republican Ashley Moody,\u00a0appointed\u00a0a year ago by Gov. Ron DeSantis. A Florida Democrat hasn\u2019t served in the U.S. Senate since Bill Nelson lost his bid for a fourth term narrowly in 2018.<\/p>\n

Nixon\u2019s decision is not exactly a surprise. She announced last fall that this would be her last term in the Florida House and has been making visits around the state for months as part of her\u00a0\u201cAwake the State\u201d tour.<\/p>\n

Initially elected in 2020, Nixon is considered one of the most progressive members of the Democratic House caucus, and has\u00a0proudly proclaimed herself\u00a0\u201cthe biggest pain in Ron DeSantis\u2019 ass.\u201d<\/p>\n

She earned the enmity of Republicans over the years, such as when she led\u00a0a protest\u00a0on the House floor in 2022 to protest a congressional map drawn up by DeSantis that eliminated two districts where Black residents constituted a plurality. She also sparked controversy in November 2023, when she called for\u00a0a cease-fire\u00a0in the Israel-Hamas war, a little over a month after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.<\/p>\n

Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power mocked Nixon after she wrote on social media in September that she was considering a bid for Senate. \u201cI needed a good laugh today, looks like @AngieNixon wants to lose a U.S. Senate race. I think it\u2019s a great idea,\u201d Power wrote on\u00a0X.<\/p>\n

The best known Democrat to have entered the race to date is Jennifer Jenkins, a former school board member from Brevard County. A\u00a0public opinion poll\u00a0conducted by the University of North Florida\u2019s Public Opinion Research Lab in October showed Moody with an 11-point lead over Jenkins, 49%-38%.<\/p>\n

The Cook Political Report\u00a0lists\u00a0the race as a \u201csolid R\u201d seat.<\/p>\n

With Republicans holding a more than 11-point voter registration lead over Democrats at present, every Democrat running for statewide office is a prohibitive underdog going into this fall\u2019s midterm election.<\/p>\n

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