Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody won election to retain her seat representing Florida in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon and securing the remainder of the term vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Moody received 50.87% of the vote compared with Nixon’s 48%, according to unofficial results from the Florida Division of Elections. Moody received 4,106,950 votes to Nixon’s 3,875,139, a margin of 231,811 votes. Independent candidate Neil Gillespie received 1.14% of the vote.
The victory maintains Republican control of both Florida Senate seats alongside Sen. Rick Scott.
It also marks Moody’s first electoral test since Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the Senate in January 2025. She previously served six years as Florida’s attorney general, winning statewide elections in 2018 and 2022.
Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat elected to the Florida House in 2020, challenged Moody on economic issues, arguing that federal policies had failed to adequately address rising housing, insurance and health care costs.
Her campaign prioritized expanding health care access, strengthening workers’ rights, increasing wages and protecting abortion rights. Nixon also called for greater federal investment in affordable housing and public services.
The contest followed months of polling that showed Moody maintaining an advantage. A RedBox Research survey conducted Oct. 30-31 among 2,898 likely voters found Moody leading Nixon 47% to 45%, within the poll’s margin of error. An Oct. 29 Targoz Market Research survey showed Moody ahead 52% to 43%.
Moody’s election continues a Republican winning streak in Florida’s statewide federal contests. Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate election in the state since Bill Nelson’s reelection in 2012.
Moody will serve through January 2029, when Rubio’s original term expires.