Florida stayed red Tuesday night as Republican Sen. Ashley Moody came out on top, shutting down the Democrats’ feisty bid to flip a Senate seat and delivering a win for President Donald Trump.
Moody defeated Democratic challenger Angie Nixon, keeping the seat in Republican hands as the parties battled for control of the Senate. Decision Desk HQ made its call at 8 pm EST.
The result gives the former Florida attorney general an electoral stamp of approval after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to replace Marco Rubio when he became Trump’s secretary of state. Moody will serve the remainder of Rubio’s term.
Trump backed Moody’s campaign, giving voters a clear choice to keep an ally of his administration in Washington. She has made support for the president’s agenda, border security and law enforcement central to her work in the Senate.
Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL)
Moody brought a statewide political résumé and a lengthy legal career into the contest. Before becoming Florida’s attorney general, she worked as a federal prosecutor and a circuit court judge in Hillsborough County.
Nixon entered the general election after defeating Alex Vindman in the Democratic primary. But the party’s hopes of turning that nomination into a Republican Senate loss ran into Florida’s red electorate.
The Sunshine State was once among the nation’s most fiercely contested political battlegrounds. More recently, Trump, DeSantis and Republican Sen. Rick Scott have helped cement the GOP’s statewide advantage. Trump and Scott both carried Florida in the last presidential election.
Tuesday’s outcome keeps a coveted Senate seat out of Democratic hands and sends Moody back to Washington with a victory of her own.
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