Former National Security Council aide Alex Vindman, a retired lieutenant colonel and Iraq War veteran who was a prominent figure during President Trump’s 2019 impeachment hearings, lost his bid for U.S. Senate.
Vindman lost to progressive state Rep. Angie Nixon in the Florida Democratic Senate primary.
Nixon held a double-digit lead despite being immensely outspent by Vindman.
The state lawmaker will face Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) in November.
Watch below:
🚨 HOLY CRAP! In a stunning upset, leftist Angie Nixon, who barely has any money, has WON the US Senate Democratic primary against Alex Vindman
Vindman has $10 MILLION and major name recognition
She has a fraction of that.
More good news for Republicans! Ashley Moody will… pic.twitter.com/IGzZIoBmIQ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 19, 2026
NBC News shared further:
Vindman raised more than $16 million for his campaign, a significant number for a Democrat in red-leaning Florida, while Nixon brought in less than $1 million.
ADVERTISEMENT“We showed the world what organized people can accomplish,” Nixon told supporters Tuesday night. “And we showed the world what people of Florida are all about. Medicare for all. Universal child care. Real, affordable housing. Fully funded public education. And an end to senseless wars.”
Vindman was recruited to run for the seat by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in an effort to expand its map during a midterm election cycle that is expected to be favorable for the party.
In a statement, Vindman said Nixon “ran a strong campaign.”
“I will be standing by her side in the fight against Ashley Moody,” he continued. “I hope you’ll join me.”
During her victory speech, Nixon addressed Vindman’s supporters, saying “there is a place for you” in her campaign.
“The great thing about our movement is we are not trying to force everyone to agree with us and believe exactly the same thing,” she said.
Nixon, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, will be a huge underdog against Moody in the general election.
Democratic socialist state Rep. Angie Nixon will win the Democratic nomination for Senate in Florida, CNN's Decision Desk projects, marking another win for the party's rising progressive wing as she seeks to finish out Secretary of State Marco Rubio's term. Nixon will face… pic.twitter.com/QXZe18por2
— CNN (@CNN) August 19, 2026
The Hill has more:
Nixon’s victory is a boon for the Democratic Socialists of America, which she told Tampa Bay Times in July she joined recently. She’s also a member of the progressive Working Families Party.
The two Democrats were vying to serve the last two years of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s term, which is up in 2028. Whoever wins the November election will still need to run again in 2028 if they want to serve the full six-year term.
ADVERTISEMENTMoody, a former Florida attorney general tapped by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to fill Rubio’s seat in 2025, fended off three longshot challengers for the GOP nod. She easily won her GOP primary Tuesday.
Vindman received endorsements from key Democrats like Sens. Mark Kelly (Ariz.), Jack Reed (R.I.) and Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) and Florida state Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman.
Meanwhile, Nixon, who was first elected to the Florida state House in 2020, received endorsements from progressives like Democratic Reps. Maxwell Frost (Fla.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.).
Vindman also leaned into his history of standing up to Trump during his first impeachment, testifying before Congress that the president had pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former President Biden. Trump has defended himself, calling it a “perfect” call, and the Senate ultimately acquitted him.
What are your thoughts?
