Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody says the political world wouldn’t be so shocked about Jacksonville state Rep. Angie Nixon’s victory over Alex Vindman in the Democratic Senate primary had the news media been more aggressive in covering her campaign.
Nixon’s 12-point victory surprised many, in large part because the retired Army lieutenant colonel had directed his strategy exclusively towards Moody and was dismissive towards Nixon. He ignored her (and several media outlets’) requests to engage in a single debate, raised $16 million to Nixon’s less than $1 million, and yet had more than $6 million left in the bank on primary day.
In addition, no legitimate pollster chose to conduct a public opinion survey to gauge the state of the race. Unlike primary elections in Michigan and Wisconsin, the polling wasn’t dramatically wrong in Florida. There just weren’t any credible polls to compare.
Moody has been critical this summer of the ascent of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates in congressional Democratic primary elections around the country. And now that she has a general election opponent associated with the DSA (since Nixon joined in June, although the national group never endorsed her), Moody says that somehow the more than 705,000 voters who chose Nixon weren’t aware of her stances.
“The whole primary campaign, I would go around the state, talk to the media,” Moody said to a group of reporters at the Republican Party of Florida’s “Top of the Ticket” rally in Tampa Thursday night.
“And they would put whatever allegation Alexander Vindman had and called him the ‘presumed nominee’ over and over and over and over again. And I would say to them, ‘I believe he has a primary. Have you talked to that other candidate? Do you know anything about that candidate?’”
She went on to say Nixon’s success wouldn’t have come as a surprise if “the media would have asked questions of the primary opponent, who was the socialist, anti-American candidate. Florida deserved to know that. And I’m going to be extraordinarily excited about putting this on display over the next two months.”
During the Republican Party of Florida’s “Sunshine Showdown Summit” in Hollywood in June, Moody referred to the rise of DSA-backed candidates like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as “anarchist psychos who want to destroy this country.”
Moody referred to DSA policies Thursday night such as defunding the police and abolishing the “prison industrial complex” that Nixon has already stated this week that she does not agree with.
Nixon was one of the most liberal-leaning Democrats in the Florida Legislature during her six years in Tallahassee. She made headlines earlier this year when she staged a sit-in in the governor’s office, protesting the GOP-led Legislature’s congressional redistricting map. She has also engaged in activism on the House floor, protesting the Legislature’s approvals of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ congressional redistricting maps in 2022 and again earlier this year.
Ready to pounce
However, Florida Republicans appear ready to pounce on her recent transition to the DSA movement as a way to brand her as un-electable. As has been widely reported, some mainstream Democrats have also raised objections to the socialist wing of their party, including South Florida Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz, who has said the DSA agenda and candidates are “anti-American to their core.”
MS Now’s Joe Scarborough asked Nixon Wednesday about joining the DSA during her campaign.
“I’m a union member. I recently joined the Working Families Party,” she said. “I also just recently joined DSA because there were some things — the majority of things that I’m supportive of — but, just like a Democrat there are some things that I do not fully support within the Democratic Party, particularly those corporate Democrats.”
–Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
Pogo says
Which one is Moody, and which one is Nixon? Sisters say the damnedest things.
Laurel says
““anarchist psychos who want to destroy this country.” – Ashley Moody. Just another red meat lie tossed out with no facts, no proof, just the same old tired crap for the few upset people who need “retribution” from a “daddy.”
There is a saying that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expecting a new outcome. Maybe so. if you take 100 monkeys, typing on 100 typewriters, one may produce a sentence.
Not here though. Hasn’t happened yet.
You vote for the same old, tired maga crap, you will continue to get the same results:
Higher insurance rates.
Higher food prices.
Higher fuel prices.
An unnecessary, ongoing war.
Disproportionate money going to the wealthy.
Poorer healthcare.
Protection of pedophiles.
Pollution.
Food poisoning.
Higher housing costs.
Hatred of gays.
Hatred of trans.
Hatred of other people because of skin color.
Trashing of women.
Protection of insurrectionists.
Hatred of other religions.
Suppression of rights.
Division of your friends and families.
Division of citizens.
Lies, lies and more lies.
Continued exhaustion of chaos.
Loss of freedoms.
The world no longer admires us.
The world no longer trusts us.
Promises of conquering our allies.
Trashing our allies, while promoting the authoritarians.
Showing your children this insanity as “normal.”
I could go on, but don’t need to. Y’all already know all this, and still will vote for this insanity.
I will not vote for this insanity of Moody or Donalds. It is time to do better, much better. You can do better!
R.S. says
Moody is the Trumpublican threat. I hope that the folk in Florida know the difference between a bland follower of the Trumpublican line and a true courageous hero for the common people. Moody’s followed the babyface would-be-Trump governor; she doesn’t seem to know the difference between law and mindless obedience to wherever the winds waft from. My bet’s on Angie Nixon all the way. Ashley’s followed in the footsteps of Marco Rubio, the would-be king of Venezuela and Cuba, and Pam Bondi, that sorry excuse of a Trump bootlicker.
Deborah Coffey says
Moody has already done her part in destroying Florida. She’s got nothing good to run on except criticizing everyone who’s not like her and her fellow Fascists. How many rights have we lost in Florida under Ron DeSantis and his Republican counterparts? How much money has he wasted and swindled…on Alligator Alcatraz and his wife’s non-profit? How’s your affordability since all those corporations you’re paying are the major donors to Governor DeSantis who just want to keep raising their rates? How’s New College doing? What about our other universities with all the Trump and DeSantis interference? How many of you have lost your in-home help for your parents since lots of those people got deported? Then again, have you bought any fruit and vegetables lately? Expensive…when you can get them, eh? And, how many of you have lost your health insurance or never had any because Florida didn’t expand Medicaid. Right. Welcome to Florida…if you can afford it.