Florida Shocker: Angie Nixon Beats Alex Vindman In Democratic Senate Primary!

Also, Byron Donalds might be governor.

Florida had one of the latest in a series of late-ass primary elections on Tuesday. Perhaps the big news is that Florida House Rep. Angie Nixon, a Democratic socialist, defeated Alex Vindman in the Democratic Senate special primary. This is a true upset. Democratic senators such as Mark Kelly, Jack Reed, and Tammy Duckworth had all endorsed Vindman, who had outspent Nixon by about 16 to 1: At the end July, Vindman had $16.3 million and Nixon had $975,000.

Moderate Democrats have already declared the Florida Senate race a lost cause now because Nixon is a socialist, and Florida is Florida. It sometimes seems as if they’d rather not even try. Vindman was not likely to make the race more competitive just because he’s a centrist, and if you’ve noticed, he lost the primary.

Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, served on the national security council during Donald Trump’s first nightmare term, and he became a Resistance Liberal hero after he turned whistleblower on Trump’s crooked attempts to extort Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden. Vindman was a key witness at Trump’s first impeachment trial. Vindman has never held political office and moved to Broward, Florida, in 2023.

Nixon is a Florida native who’s served in the state House of Representatives since 2020. She co-authored a book, The Adventures of Moxie McGriff, with her daughter Natalie about a little girl whose Afro grants her superpowers. She owns a smoothie/ice cream/sandwich shop in Jacksonville called Natalie’s Nook & Candy Shop. Republicans and too many Democrats will insist that Nixon is too radical for Florida.

The Republican-controlled state House reprimanded Nixon in May for repeatedly blasting a pink bullhorn during a fight over the GOP’s blatantly partisan congressional redistricting.

“I don’t care if I get a reprimand. I don’t even care if they expel me, because I’m standing up for my elders,” Nixon said. “Stop doing illegal things and I won’t call you out with a pink microphone.”

Vindman told the Florida Phoenix earlier this month that he didn’t think the progressive victories so far this year would impact his primary election. “I think actually I’m not sure if I see those trend lines in Florida,“ he said. “I see them in urban cores in different parts of the country, New York. But what’s applicable in New York doesn’t necessarily resonate and carry over to the ‘Free State of Florida.’”

Vindman declined to debate Nixon, choosing instead to focus on Sen. Ashley Moody, the Republican incumbent who he’ll also never debate. Vindman’s wife Rachel issued a public apology to Nixon after posting an insulting message that advised her to “buy some professional clothes for the love of everything (that includes shoes).” These are just not words you say to a Black woman.

Nixon carried 56 percent to the vote to Vindman’s 44. That looks pretty damn professional.

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Far less shocking was the outcome of the Republican gubernatorial primary, which that Rep. Byron Donalds handily won. Donalds had Donald Trump’s endorsement and consistently led his proudly racist opponent James Fishback, who’s one of the creepiest people alive. If Donalds wins the general election in November, that would make him Florida’s first Black governor and one of only seven Black people (all men so far) to serve as governor of a U.S. state. Democrats and most civil rights groups aren’t likely to celebrate this outcome, though, because Donalds is a Republican and terrible, in that order.

There was already some goalpost-shifting for Donalds’ win. Pollster Sean Freeder, the director of the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida, told Facing South Florida host Jim DeFede that the true test for Donalds is his margin over Fishback.

“Fishback has done particularly well with young Republican voters, as far as we can tell, and with people for whom the Trump endorsement that Donalds received maybe doesn’t matter as much,” Freeder said. “If we’re looking at maybe a 6 percent showing from Fishback, that would be very disappointing for their campaign, but that might be good news for Donalds’ campaign. On the other hand, if Fishback is closer to something like 15 or even 20 percent ... that could be big trouble for Donalds going into November.”

This is an unusual spin, considering that last week, David Crowley narrowly defeated Francesca Hong by less than a point in the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary. Crowley had full party establishment support, as well. Yet, that was spun as a triumphant “comeback” victory. No one suggests that he’s going to struggle in the general election.

Byron Donalds Wants A Military Like G.I. Joe But He Already Works For Cobra

After all, Donalds is in a better position than most Republicans this year. In the 2024 election, Florida was about eight points more Republican than the nation as a whole. Trump’s approval is underwater in Florida, but it’s still better than the national average (46 percent to 33 percent). Maybe they enjoy paying $4 for a gallon of gas in Florida.

The race was called for Donalds within minutes. Fishback will just barely crack double digits — still appalling that even that many people voted for the bigot but it’s nowhere near Sean Freeder’s arbitrary nightmare scenario for Donalds.

Donalds will face David Jolly, the Democratic nominee who was a Republican until 2018. Jolly has since become a vocal anti-Trump former Republican, which can lead to a lucrative career appearing on cable news shows but rarely results in electoral success. Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist ran against Ron DeSantis in 2022, and voters weren’t confused. DeSantis absolutely crushed Crist, but Jolly remains hopeful. He’s even picked former Democratic Rep. Gwen Graham as his future lieutenant governor. Graham lost the 2018 gubernatorial primary to Andrew Gillum, who narrowly lost to Ron DeSantis. Moderate Democrats insist that Graham could have actually won and spared us DeSantis, but the same year, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, a self-proclaimed centrist, lost re-election to Skeletor-cosplayer Rick Scott. Democrats are struggling in Florida — whether they’re liberal, moderate, or a Republican last week.

Like Democratic House Leader and professional suit filler Hakeem Jeffries, Donalds grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Donalds was raised by a single mother and had some minor legal troubles before moving to Florida for college. He graduated from Florida State University in 2002. Donalds was a Democrat until 2010 when he became part of the Tea Party movement (thanks, Obama). He first ran for Congress in 2012, finishing fifth out of sixth, but he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2016. He ran for Congress again in 2020, winning a crowded primary by just 770 votes. During his campaign, he described himself as a “Trump supporting, gun owning, liberty loving, pro-life, politically incorrect Black man.” Although far too long for a bumper sticker, this was sufficient for Donalds to defeat Democrat Cindy Banyai.

Donalds was in Congress for barely a few days when he joined 146 other Republicans and voted against certifying Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory on January 6. If successful, this would’ve overturned the will of voters in key swing states, specifically Black voters. Of course, unlike the few Republicans who resisted Trump’s attack on democracy, Donalds has paid no penalty for his shameful actions. Since then, he’s remained a reliable MAGA soldier. He’ll defy all reason and sanity before saying a critical word about Trump.

Donalds was more willing, though, to criticize his potential predecessor, Gov. Ron DeSantis, during the latter’s brief period of relevance. In 2023, Donalds spoke out against Florida’s Desantis-approved new history curriculum, which suggested that enslaved people might’ve picked up a few skills while in bondage, such as blacksmithing and, I guess, long distance running.

“The new African-American standards in FL are good, robust, & accurate,” Donalds posted on social media. “That being said, the attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong & needs to be adjusted. That obviously wasn’t the goal & I have faith that FLDOE will correct this.”

This was hardly a rebuke, but the backlash was swift: DeSantis spokesperson Jeremy Redfern called Donalds a “supposed conservative,” and Christina Pushaw, his campaign’s rapid response director, asked snidely, “Did Kamala Harris write this tweet?”

Donalds had already endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential run, but this was still another example of how bad DeSantis was at politics.

If Donalds becomes governor, the Daily Wire might immediately produce an inspiring biopic based on his life and probably starring Jonathan Majors, who has to make a living somehow. Oh, and Charlie Crist won the nonpartisan primary for St. Petersburg mayor. Florida has a lot of cities, so David Jolly will have options after November.