\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWESH TWO NEWS STARTS NOW. A PIVOTAL FIGURE IN THE FIRST IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS QUALIFIED TO RUN FOR FLORIDA\u2019S U.S. SENATE SEAT THIS YEAR. ALEX VINDMAN CAMPAIGNED IN ORLANDO TODAY AND SPOKE WITH WESH TWO NEWS POLITICAL REPORTER GREG FOX. THANKS FOR HAVING ME HERE. RETIRED ARMY LIEUTENANT COLONEL VINDMAN IS NOW FORGING NEW TERRITORY IN POLITICS AS A DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE HOPING TO UNSEAT REPUBLICAN FLORIDA U.S. SENATOR ASHLEY MOODY. SHE WAS APPOINTED LAST YEAR TO FILL THE SEAT VACATED BY MARCO RUBIO WHEN HE WAS NAMED SECRETARY OF STATE. VINDMAN, THEN ON THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, DELIVERED THE CRUCIAL TESTIMONY IN 2019 ON PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP\u2019S CALL TO UKRAINE\u2019S LEADERS, ASKING FOR AN INVESTIGATION OF JOE BIDEN. KEY TO TRUMP\u2019S FIRST IMPEACHMENT, VINDMAN SAYS HE SERVED HIS COUNTRY THEN AND WANTS TO SERVE IT AGAIN IN THE SENATE. YOU COULDN\u2019T HAVE A STARK CONTRAST BETWEEN MY BIOGRAPHY. WHAT I\u2019VE DELIVERED FOR THIS COUNTRY, AND ASHLEY MOODY, WHO IS JUST THERE SELECTED TO BE AN AUTOMATIC YES VOTE. THE LATEST POLL HAS VINDMAN THE SENATOR IS FAVORED BY 46% OF VOTERS TO 38% FOR VINDMAN, 16% ARE UNDECIDED. VINDMAN TELLS ME HE EXPECTS THOSE POLLING NUMBERS FOR HIM AGAINST MOODY TO IMPROVE, AS OTHER POLLING NUMBERS SINCE THE 2024 ELECTION SHOW REDUCED SUPPORT AMONG INDEPENDENTS AND LATINOS. FOR PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. WE\u2019RE GOING TO TAKE THIS AND WE\u2019RE GOING TO WIN THIS RACE, AND WE\u2019RE GOING TO GO CLEAN UP WASHINGTON, D.C., AND MAKE SURE THAT WE START DELIVERING FOR THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA. THE CHAIR OF THE STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY SAYS MOODY WILL WIN REELECTION BECAUSE, HE SAYS MOST FLORIDA VOTERS WILL WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH VINDMAN. THEY\u2019RE NOT GOING TO SUPPORT A SCHIFF PUPPET WHO IS RUNNING, WHO\u2019S BEEN A TRAITOR TO AMERICA, A TRAITOR TO THIS PRESIDENT. I THINK IT\u2019S AN ADMISSION THAT THEY DO NOT THINK FLORIDA IS IN PLAY ANYMORE, BECAUSE THEY\u2019RE NOT PUTTING UP A SERIOUS CANDIDATE THAT WILL BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. SOMETHING REPUBLICANS AND VOTERS MAY TAKE SERIOUSLY IS THE FUNDRAISING NUMBERS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR, VINDMAN HAS RAISED $8.2 MILLION, COMPARED TO 3.8 MILLION RAISED BY MOODY\u2019S TWO POLITICAL COMMITTEES, WITH $6.4 MILLION. VINDMAN HAS SLIGHTLY LESS CASH ON HAND THAN MOODY, WITH 7.3 MILLION, BUT THAT\u2019S FROM MORE THAN A YEAR\u2019S WORTH OF CAMPAIGNING. GREG FOX WESH TWO NEWS. THE ONLY OTHER DEMOCRAT TO QUALIFY FOR THE SENATE RACE IS JACKSONVILLE STATE HOUSE MEMBER ANGIE NIXON. THREE REPUBLICANS HAVE QUALIFIED TO RUN AGA\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tQualifying for the U.S. Senate race in Florida this year concluded at noon Friday. Seven people qualified, including appointed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, Florida\u2019s former attorney general. She faces a primary challenge from three other GOP candidates. The leading Democratic fundraiser in the race, Alex Vindman, will face Jacksonville state House District 13 Rep. Angie Nixon in the primary. One No Party Affiliation candidate qualified for the November ballot. Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Vindman was in Orlando for several campaign stops Friday. He\u2019s hoping to unseat Moody, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Jan. 16, 2025 to replace Marco Rubio, who was appointed U.S. Secretary of State by President Donald Trump. Vindman, then on the National Security Council, delivered the crucial testimony in 2019, on Trump’s call to Ukraine’s leaders asking for an investigation of Joe Biden, which was key to Trump’s first impeachment. Vindman says he served his country then, and wants to serve it again in the Senate, adding, \u201cYou could not have a more stark contrast between my biography, what I have delivered for this country and Ashley Moody who is there and was selected to be an automatic yes vote.\u201d The latest Emerson College poll of voters, sampled March 29-31, has Vindman trailing Moody. The senator is favored by 46% of voters, to 38% for Vindman. 16% are undecided. Vindman tells WESH 2, those polling numbers with Moody will turn in his favor, since other recent polls show support by independents and Latinos for Trump is dropping. Vindman added, \u201cWe’ll take this and we’re going to win this race and we’re going to go clean up Washington, D.C. and make sure we start delivering for the people of Florida.\u201d Republican Party Of Florida Chair Evan Power tells WESH 2, Moody will win re-election, because Power says, most Florida voters will want nothing to do with Vindman. Power said, \u201cThey’re not going to support a (U.S. Senator Adam) Schiff puppet who is running, who has been a traitor to America and been a traitor to this President. I think it is an admission that they (Democrats) don’t think Florida is in play anymore, because they are not putting up a serious candidate who will be taken seriously.\u201d Something Republicans and voters may take seriously is the fundraising numbers. In the first quarter of this year, Vindman has raised $8.2 million, compared to $3.8 million raised by Moody’s two political committees, Ashley Moody Victory Fund and Moody For Florida. With $6.4-million, Vindman has slightly less cash on hand than Moody, with $7.3-million, but that’s from more than a year’s worth of campaigning. WESH 2 has left a message requesting comment on the race from the Moody campaign. We\u2019ll update our article when we hear back.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Qualifying for the U.S. Senate race in Florida this year concluded at noon Friday. <\/p>\n
Seven people qualified, including appointed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, Florida\u2019s former attorney general. She faces a primary challenge from three other GOP candidates. <\/p>\n
The leading Democratic fundraiser in the race, Alex Vindman, will face Jacksonville state House District 13 Rep. Angie Nixon in the primary. One No Party Affiliation candidate qualified for the November ballot.<\/p>\n
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Vindman was in Orlando for several campaign stops Friday. He\u2019s hoping to unseat Moody, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Jan. 16, 2025 to replace Marco Rubio, who was appointed U.S. Secretary of State by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
Vindman, then on the National Security Council, delivered the crucial testimony in 2019, on Trump’s call to Ukraine’s leaders asking for an investigation of Joe Biden, which was key to Trump’s first impeachment.<\/p>\n
Vindman says he served his country then, and wants to serve it again in the Senate, adding, \u201cYou could not have a more stark contrast between my biography, what I have delivered for this country and Ashley Moody who is there and was selected to be an automatic yes vote.\u201d<\/p>\n
The latest Emerson College poll of voters, sampled March 29-31, has Vindman trailing Moody. The senator is favored by 46% of voters, to 38% for Vindman. 16% are undecided. Vindman tells WESH 2, those polling numbers with Moody will turn in his favor, since other recent polls show support by independents and Latinos for Trump is dropping.<\/p>\n
Vindman added, \u201cWe’ll take this and we’re going to win this race and we’re going to go clean up Washington, D.C. and make sure we start delivering for the people of Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
Republican Party Of Florida Chair Evan Power tells WESH 2, Moody will win re-election, because Power says, most Florida voters will want nothing to do with Vindman. <\/p>\n
Power said, \u201cThey’re not going to support a (U.S. Senator Adam) Schiff puppet who is running, who has been a traitor to America and been a traitor to this President. I think it is an admission that they (Democrats) don’t think Florida is in play anymore, because they are not putting up a serious candidate who will be taken seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something Republicans and voters may take seriously is the fundraising numbers. In the first quarter of this year, Vindman has raised $8.2 million, compared to $3.8 million raised by Moody’s two political committees, Ashley Moody Victory Fund and Moody For Florida. With $6.4-million, Vindman has slightly less cash on hand than Moody, with $7.3-million, but that’s from more than a year’s worth of campaigning.<\/p>\n
WESH 2 has left a message requesting comment on the race from the Moody campaign. We\u2019ll update our article when we hear back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WESH TWO NEWS STARTS NOW. A PIVOTAL FIGURE IN THE FIRST IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS QUALIFIED TO…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":245356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3853,9227,28,30,29,107995,54908,107996,992,5592,107997,107998,2684,107994,16663,918,164],"class_list":{"0":"post-245355","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-florida","8":"tag-ashley-moody","9":"tag-country","10":"tag-florida","11":"tag-florida-headlines","12":"tag-florida-news","13":"tag-likely-u-s-senate-race","14":"tag-moody","15":"tag-noon-friday","16":"tag-people","17":"tag-power","18":"tag-primary-challenge","19":"tag-traitor","20":"tag-trump","21":"tag-vindman","22":"tag-voter","23":"tag-wesh","24":"tag-year"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}