Florida voters will head to the polls Tuesday to pick party nominees in a special primary election for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by former Sen. Marco Rubio’s appointment as secretary of state.
U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., was appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill Rubio’s seat until voters could elect a replacement during the midterm elections later this year. Moody is now seeking the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary for the chance to remain in the seat for the rest of Rubio’s term.
She will face three Republican challengers in her party’s primary on Tuesday. Two candidates are going head-to-head in the Democratic primary happening the same day.
The winner of each party’s primary will advance to Nov. 3’s general election. Senate Republicans are defending a tight 53-45 majority against Democrats, and the race for Florida’s Senate seat will play a role in determining which party takes control of the chamber after the midterms.
Republican primary
Moody served two terms as Florida’s attorney general before her appointment to the Senate in January 2025. She enters the race with the advantages of incumbency and statewide name recognition from her previous office.
Since being tapped to join the Senate, Moody has consistently voted in line with Republicans’ fiscal priorities, including supporting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and has introduced bills addressing health care and federal student aid fraud.
She is facing primary challenges from Army veteran Chris Gleason, minister Ernie Rivera and physician Neelam Taneja Perry.
Moody leads the Republican pack in fundraising, with $11.3 million in funds reported in her latest filings to the Federal Election Commission. The next closest fundraiser is Gleason with $22,000 in funds.
Florida’s Senate seat is rated “Solid Republican” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which means Democrats face an uphill battle challenging the Republican nominee in November’s general election.
Democratic primary
Two Democratic candidates are fighting for their party’s nomination on Tuesday. A native of Jacksonville, Angie Nixon has been a member of the Florida House of Representatives since 2020. She will square off against Alex Vindman in the Democratic primary, a retired U.S. Army combat veteran of 21 years.
Vindman has significantly outraised Nixon, reporting $16.3 million in his latest FEC filings compared to Nixon’s $975,000.
Nixon has built her campaign for Senate around economic populism, calling for higher taxes on billionaires, raising the federal minimum wage and redirecting taxpayer dollars spent on the conflict in Iran.
Vindman’s campaign has focused on government accountability and anticorruption, drawing on his experience as a witness during the House of Representatives’ 2019 impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, while Vindman was on the National Security Council.
The last time a Florida Democrat was elected to the Senate was in 2012.
What to know on Tuesday
Polls in Florida will stay open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Election Day. Any voter in line by 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast their ballot.
While Tuesday’s primary is open only to voters registered with a political party, all voters in Florida will have a chance to go to the polls for the general election on Nov. 3.
The outcome of Florida’s special election in November will help determine which party controls Congress’ upper chamber over the next two years.
