Ashley Moody

A Democratic-backed super PAC has poured $2 million into ads attacking Florida Sen. Ashley Moody over her record on releasing Jeffrey Epstein's files, featuring survivor Marina Lacerda questioning Moody's priorities. The ad notes Moody joined other Republicans in blocking a September 2025 measure tied to the defense budget, but omits that the Senate later approved a standalone release bill by unanimous consent. The National Republican Senatorial Committee called the ads false and misleading, saying Moody ultimately supported transparency legislation. Epstein-related ads have run in 63 congressional races nationally, totaling $76 million.

With Election Day days away, Moody faces Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist who accuses Moody of refusing to debate and of involvement in misappropriating $10 million in Medicaid funds, which Moody denies. Moody has campaigned with gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, branding Nixon a communist, a label Nixon rejects.

With the midterm election days away, Florida's U.S. Senate race pits Republican incumbent Ashley Moody, appointed to the seat by Gov. Ron DeSantis, against Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon, who upset Alex Vindman in the August primary. Moody is campaigning on her record as a former attorney general and prosecutor, emphasizing law enforcement, individual freedoms, and Florida's conservative policies while casting Nixon as a socialist. Nixon is focused on affordability, government corruption, and working families, accusing Moody of using office for personal enrichment. Both candidates reject the other's characterizations as the race heads into its final week before November's vote.

Alex Alvarado, a GOP operative implicated in Florida's 2020 "ghost candidate" scheme, is now sending text messages suggesting Democratic attorney general candidate Jose Javier Rodríguez won't "defend reproductive freedom." The texts, funded through a newly registered committee called Lower Our Costs Now, cite a 2015 abortion bill vote Rodríguez missed on the floor but later recorded a "no" vote on afterward. Rodríguez's campaign calls the ads misleading and notes his Planned Parenthood endorsement. Alvarado, an early donor to incumbent Attorney General James Uthmeier, was previously tied to 2020 efforts—some resulting in convictions—to siphon votes from Democrats using decoy independent candidates, including a scheme that helped defeat Rodríguez's state Senate bid.

Former President Donald Trump is set to spend more time in Florida this month, beginning with an overnight stay at Mar-a-Lago following an October 23 rally in Fort Myers, in the heart of Rep. Byron Donalds' Southwest Florida district. The visits mark the start of what Republicans are calling his "Florida season" ahead of midterm elections now about two weeks away.

Despite Florida's reputation as increasingly friendly territory for the GOP, Republicans are voicing concern about enthusiasm and turnout. Polls show Donalds and Sen. Ashley Moody with only marginal leads in their respective gubernatorial and Senate races. Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in the state by more than 1.5 million, but Democrats have so far cast more vote-by-mail ballots, a shift from past cycles that followed Trump's criticism of mail voting since 2020. Republicans are now leaning more heavily on early in-person turnout, with party strategists describing the coming days as "crunch time" for mobilizing the base.

Democrat Angie Nixon, who upset Alex Vindman in Florida's Senate primary by nearly 12 points, is now challenging Republican Senator Ashley Moody in a race most analysts consider a longshot for Democrats. Florida has 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats, and polls show Moody leading, though margins vary. Nixon faces a severe funding gap, having raised under $1 million to Moody's more than $11 million as of late July, limiting her ability to counter attack ads tying her to the Democratic Socialists of America.

National Democrats have been slow to invest in the race, but Senators Chris Murphy and Bernie Sanders are campaigning with Nixon this week, with Sanders contributing $250,000. Nixon is running on universal health care, child care, and affordable housing, and is working to mobilize Black voters and women while courting GOP-leaning communities. She has embraced an unapologetically progressive, grassroots-driven campaign, drawing comparisons to gubernatorial nominee David Jolly's more moderate crossover strategy, with both races seen as tests of competing Democratic approaches ahead of 2028. Analysts say Trump's unpopularity and cost-of-living concerns give her an opening, but she would need exceptionally high Democratic turnout combined with Republican voters staying home to overcome the state's structural disadvantages.

Florida's two marquee 2026 statewide races present unusual racial pairings, and candidates are handling the dynamic very differently. In the Senate race, Democrat Angie Nixon, a progressive from Jacksonville, faces Republican Ashley Moody, the former state attorney general appointed to the seat Marco Rubio vacated. In the governor's race, Republican Byron Donalds, who could become Florida's first Black governor, is running against David Jolly, a former Republican turned Democrat with strong Black voter support.

Analysts say Donalds has mostly avoided Black-specific outreach and race-focused messaging, emphasizing the economy and school choice instead, reflecting a common strategy for Black conservative candidates wary of alienating their base. Despite recent efforts to court Black voters, polling shows Jolly holding a commanding lead among Black voters. Nixon, by contrast, has leaned into discussing race directly while also courting white working-class voters with economic messaging, trailing Moody in current polling but with strategists calling her a credible underdog capable of winning with strong turnout.

Donalds has continued to draw national attention on other issues, recently criticizing far-left Florida Democrats who have called to abolish ICE amid the broader immigration debate.

Families of disabled Floridians say Hope Florida, the signature initiative of Gov. Ron DeSantis and first lady Casey DeSantis, failed to deliver meaningful help even as a leaked grand jury report found the affiliated Hope Florida Foundation took part in a "sophisticated scheme" diverting $10 million in Medicaid settlement funds toward political campaigns. Parents and disabled adults described navigators sending generic lists of nonprofits, churches, and job boards instead of substantive assistance for needs like wheelchair transport, aides, or job placement. Reporting found the $10 million was part of at least $35 million in taxpayer funds steered toward efforts opposing a marijuana legalization measure and an abortion-rights ballot initiative.

James Uthmeier, DeSantis' former chief of staff and now attorney general, was found to have held authority over the settlement's arrangement; U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, then attorney general, advised approving the deal. A Florida House committee and a grand jury convened by a Tallahassee-area state attorney investigated, though witness silence discouraged charges. The Agency for Persons with Disabilities defended its record, saying it serves more than 60,000 Floridians, while the governor's and Uthmeier's offices did not respond to requests for comment.

Florida voters will decide three Cabinet races this November alongside the governorship, contests that could determine how much of Governor Ron DeSantis' influence persists after he leaves office.

Attorney General James Uthmeier, appointed in February 2025 after Ashley Moody's move to the U.S. Senate, faces Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez, who has tied him to the "Hope Florida" scandal and accused him of misusing public funds for political purposes. Uthmeier denies involvement in the related settlement negotiations and points to his enforcement record on tech companies and fentanyl.

In the CFO race, appointed incumbent Blaise Ingoglia, who emphasizes government transparency, faces former state Senator Annette Taddeo, who argues the office needs more independence from the governor's administration.

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, the only incumbent who won election in 2022, seeks reelection against Democrat Joey Atkins in a lower-profile race. DeSantis has urged Republicans to stay energized as Florida approaches a leadership transition.