Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has clinched the Republican nomination in the state’s Senate primary, clearing the path for what analysts expect to be a comfortable general election victory in November.
Moody, who was appointed to the seat earlier this year after Marco Rubio stepped down to become Secretary of State, won Tuesday’s primary in decisive fashion. With nearly all precincts reporting, she captured 79.6 percent of the vote, easily dispatching challenger Chris Gleason, who managed just 13.7 percent.
Primary Landslide
The lopsided result was never really in doubt. Moody entered the race with the backing of the state’s Republican establishment, including former President Donald Trump, and her name recognition from two terms as attorney general gave her a commanding advantage over Gleason, a relative unknown on the statewide stage.
Gleason, a businessman who ran on a platform of term limits and government reform, struggled to gain traction against Moody’s formidable fundraising machine and institutional support. By the time polls closed, the outcome was all but predetermined.
General Election Matchup
Moody will now face Democrat Angie Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), in the November special election to fill the remainder of Rubio’s term.
Nixon, a state representative from Jacksonville, pulled off an upset in the Democratic primary earlier this month, defeating Alexander Vindman — the former National Security Council official who gained prominence during Trump’s first impeachment — in a race that drew national attention.
The moment Nixon’s victory was projected, nonpartisan political analysts shifted the Florida Senate race from “Likely R” to “Safe R,” a reflection of the state’s increasingly red tilt and the perceived difficulty Nixon faces in a statewide contest.
A Familiar Face in the Senate
Moody’s victory keeps the seat in Republican hands, and her appointment earlier this year already gave her a head start in the body. She has been serving as Florida’s junior senator since Rubio’s resignation, giving her incumbency advantages that typically accrue to sitting members.
Her primary win sets the stage for a general election campaign that will likely center on issues like border security, the economy, and federal spending — areas where Republicans have held strong advantages in recent Florida elections.
What’s Next
Moody will now shift her focus to the November ballot, where she will look to hold off Nixon in a state that has trended solidly Republican in recent cycles. Florida has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 2012, and the state’s voter registration rolls now favor the GOP.
Nixon, for her part, has cast herself as a progressive champion and has sought to energize younger and minority voters, but political observers broadly view her chances as slim in a state where Republicans have won every statewide race since 2018.
The special election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with early voting expected to begin in late October.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/18/ashley-moody-wins-republican-nomination-florida-senate-primary/