Ashley Moody, Angie Nixon face off for U.S. Senate seat

TAMPA, Fla. - Florida Republican Ashley Moody and Democrat Angie Nixon are both vying for the U.S. Senate seat up for grabs in the 2026 midterm elections. 

U.S. Senate seat for Florida

The backstory:

This was originally Secretary of State Marco Rubio's seat in the U.S. Senate before he was appointed to President Donald Trump's cabinet after the 2024 elections. Moody was appointed by DeSantis to take the role in Rubio's place and has been campaigning to secure the remainder of Rubio's term since launching her bid earlier this year.

Now, voters will decide between Moody and her challenger, Angie Nixon. Whoever wins Tuesday night will serve out the remainder of the term, which will be until January 2029. 

Florida's Senate race

Dig deeper:

Before Moody's appointment to Rubio's U.S. Senate seat, the Republican served as Florida's former attorney general. This was her first time running before Florida voters as a U.S. senator. 

Moody's campaign has highlighted her record as Florida attorney general and her support for conservative policies.

However, on the Democratic side, Nixon made for quite the upset in the Florida Primaries against Democrat Alex Vindman. Vindman was heavily favored to win the Democratic nomination, originally, but Nixon ended up securing the nomination to face off against Moody. 

Nixon, a current member of the Florida House of Representatives who aligns with the Democratic Socialists of America, was a virtually unknown candidate outside of Jacksonville. But, she had late endorsements and a late push that helped her come out of the primaries with a win. 

What are the stakes?

Why you should care:

This race has been a closely watched federal contest for the 2026 elections as a whole. If Moody secures the votes, Republicans will maintain their hold on the statewide senate seat after Rubio's departure. 

However, if Nixon defeats Moody, this would represent a major breakthrough for Democrats in Florida, a state where Republicans have dominated recent statewide elections. 

The Source: The information in this story comes from Florida's midterm election results after the Florida Senate Race was called. It also includes previous reporting by FOX 13 News.