{"id":142709,"date":"2026-02-04T00:53:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T00:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/142709\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T00:53:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T00:53:07","slug":"army-vet-who-blew-the-whistle-on-trump-joins-race-to-run-against-tampas-sen-ashley-moody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/142709\/","title":{"rendered":"Army vet who blew the whistle on Trump joins race to run against Tampa’s Sen. Ashley Moody"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ARetired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman Credit: AVindman \/ X<\/a><\/p>\n

Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who played a central role in President Donald Trump\u2019s first impeachment, announced last Tuesday that he is the latest Democrat to enter into the race for U.S. Senate against GOP incumbent Ashley Moody.<\/p>\n

The 50-year-old Vindman is a 21-year U.S. Army combat veteran who later served as a national security expert working for presidents of both parties.\u00a0As an infantryman, he was wounded in Iraq and awarded a Purple Heart.<\/p>\n

He was working as director of European Affairs for the National Security Council as a top expert on Ukraine when he was swept up in the impeachment hearings against Trump led by congressional House Democrats in 2019.\u00a0Trump ousted him<\/a>\u00a0from his position shortly after the U.S. Senate acquitted the president in that impeachment trial.<\/p>\n

Vindman has been living in Broward County since 2023, and stated in an interview with\u00a0CBS Miami<\/a>\u00a0last May that he was considering a run for Senate.<\/p>\n

In a\u00a0campaign video<\/a>\u00a0released to announce his candidacy, Vindman says, \u201cThis president unleashed a reign of terror and retribution, not just against me and my family, but against all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, our country is in chaos,\u201d he continues. \u201cThug militias attacking citizens. Tariffs pushing prices sky-high. Healthcare premiums through the roof. And Florida homeowners are being absolutely screwed because Ashley Moody caved to the big insurance companies.\u00a0They put Moody in the Senate to be a \u2018yes\u2019 vote for Trump and the billionaires. She\u2019s not Florida\u2019s senator. She\u2019s theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vindman\u2019s twin brother, Eugene Vindman, was elected to the U.S House of Representatives representing Virginia\u2019s 7th District in November 2024.<\/p>\n

Vindman now joins Jacksonville state Rep.\u00a0Angie Nixon<\/a>\u00a0and former Brevard County School Board member\u00a0Jennifer Jenkins<\/a>\u00a0in the race for the Democratic nomination. The primary election takes place on Aug. 18. The winner will take on Moody, who was elected twice statewide as Florida attorney general but has not faced the voters since she was appointed a year ago by Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n

Representatives from both parties weighed in on Vindman\u2019s announcement on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Emma Hall, the Southeast regional communications director with the Republican National Committee, bashed Vindman.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlexander Vindman is a carpetbagger and a grifter, and his campaign is doomed from the start,\u201d Hall said in a statement.<\/p>\n

One of Vindman\u2019s Democratic opponents, Jennifer Jenkins, also weighed in, saying that she welcomed him to the race and thanked him for his \u201cyears of service to our country.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important that people step forward to challenge what\u2019s happening right now up and down the ballot,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m in this race because I know what Floridians are feeling. Parents are choosing between groceries and rent, young people are being priced out of their futures, and seniors are struggling to afford their medications.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve lived those challenges, and I\u2019ve seen the consequences of extreme, corrupt, broken government as a mom, an educator, and as a local leader. \u201c<\/p>\n

Florida Phoenix<\/a> is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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This article appears in Jan. 29 \u2013 Feb. 04<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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