How a Progressive Democrat in Florida Gave Her Party New Hope — and New Fears
New York Times · LC · trust 57/100
Angie Nixon, a state lawmaker from Jacksonville, shocked Democrats in red Florida by soundly defeating her centrist primary opponent. Now comes the hard part.
Listen · 10:08 min Share full article Representative Angie Nixon, a progressive maverick, jolted Florida politics with her upset win in the Democratic Senate primary this week. Credit... Saul Martinez for The New York Times By Patricia Mazzei
The progressive maverick Angie Nixon’s upset win in the Democratic Senate primary this week jolted Florida politics, reshaping the dynamics of what had appeared to be a predictable race into one fraught with uncertainty — and, perhaps, opportunity.
Democrats, who have struggled for relevance over the past few election cycles in the state, were torn by a familiar mix of fear and excitement. Would Ms. Nixon’s unexpected nomination hurt the party’s centrist nominee for governor, David Jolly, a former Republican? Or would it bring a sudden shock of energy that the party had not experienced in nearly a decade?
“‘Can you both win on the same ballot?’” Mr. Jolly said in an interview on Thursday, repeating what many have asked him since the primary on Tuesday. “I don’t know. I mean, this is fascinating.”
The tug of war between Democratic moderates and increasingly left-wing progressives has defined this year’s midterm primary elections across the country. Candidates from the party’s left flank and democratic socialists have notched significant victories in blue and purple states. Few had predicted that red Florida would display that tension in its top-of-the-ticket races.
Republicans seized on Ms. Nixon’s relatively new affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America to cast every down-ballot Democrat as out of touch in a state that has leaned more and more toward the right over the past decade. The G.O.P. remains favored to win statewide races: Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by 1.5 million in Florida, and President Trump won the state by 13 percentage points in 2024.
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