More than a thousand people packed an events center in Kissimmee on Tuesday night to hear Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon make her closing pitch for Florida's U.S. Senate seat, with event security putting the crowd at 1,071 people. The rally landed just a week before Floridians decide who finishes out former Sen. Marco Rubio's term, in a race that has tightened considerably since the summer.
A Fiery Speech And A Packed House
Nixon, known for her advocacy on labor rights, voting rights and healthcare, delivered what WESH 2 News described as a fiery speech to the crowd. She told attendees that people deserve leaders who show up, who tell the truth, and deliver, framing her campaign as the product of a decade spent in that fight before she pledged to bring it to the Senate. The event, according to the station's report, also featured music, art and strong turnout from the Puerto Rican community.
Kissimmee resident Jorge Figueroa, who was among those in attendance, said he hoped most Puerto Ricans would back Nixon and argued that Florida needed change, noting that the state is home to 1.3 million Puerto Ricans by his account. Orlando resident Victoria Hamer-Hodges, who supports Nixon, said Florida needs someone like her, someone she believed actually cared. St. Cloud resident Christine Gillison brought her 8-year-old daughter to the rally, saying she wanted her daughter to know they have a voice and that they matter.
A Tightening Race For Rubio's Old Seat
The contest pits Nixon against Republican incumbent Ashley Moody, who was appointed to the Senate by Gov. Ron DeSantis after Marco Rubio was tapped to become secretary of state, as the same WESH report notes. The winner will serve out the final two years of that term before the seat is back on the ballot in 2028, according to WPTV, which also reports that independent candidate Neil Gillespie is on the ballot alongside Nixon and Moody. WPTV notes Florida has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2012, a streak Nixon is trying to break on Nov. 3.
A University of North Florida poll showed Moody leading Nixon by four points, 49% to 45%, with 5% undecided. That margin has been shrinking: as Florida Politics reports, the new results effectively halved Moody's advantage from the same pollster's July survey, when she led 50%-42%. Nixon has also pulled ahead among third-party and no-party voters, leading that group 50%-35% in the latest poll, though the outlet notes the turnout model still assumes a Republican-heavy electorate of 45% Republicans, 33% Democrats and 22% third- or no-party voters.
Moody Campaigns With Trump And DeSantis
Moody has leaned on top-of-ticket support in the campaign's final stretch. The Florida Senate race pits Nixon against the Republican incumbent, who is backed by former President Donald Trump, and she appeared alongside him at a rally in Fort Myers, as reported by ClickOrlando. Moody also visited Pinellas County with DeSantis on Tuesday to urge voters to the polls, and during a separate campaign stop in Flagler County she highlighted her vote to approve temporary tax deductions on tipped wages, overtime and Social Security. She has said it is important to discuss facts and who delivered wins rather than rhetoric.
DeSantis has been making a broader last-minute push for Florida Republicans in several close contests statewide, according to Politico, which notes the Cook Political Report has flagged races involving GOP candidates Casey Askar and Mike Beltran as toss-ups. Nixon has also kept up pressure on Moody over the Hope Florida controversy, which involved the DeSantis administration directing $10 million from a Medicaid settlement to the Hope Florida Foundation, a nonprofit connected to Casey DeSantis. Whether that amounted to stealing, as Nixon has characterized it, has not been substantiated, and no one involved faces criminal charges, per WLRN.
Closing Arguments Before Election Day
Nixon has built her campaign around affordability, telling voters that working families are struggling with rising costs while politicians benefit from the current system, WPTV reports. Her platform includes a $25 minimum wage, Medicare for All, free childcare, paid family and sick leave, and a national rent freeze, according to the same outlet and PantherNOW. She has campaigned alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders as part of that economic pitch.
Nixon also rallied supporters at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Eatonville two Sundays before Election Day, part of a broader Central Florida push as early voting opened across the region ahead of Nov. 3, ClickOrlando reports. With the Kissimmee crowd behind her and the polls narrowing, Nixon is betting that a decade of advocacy work translates into a late surge against an incumbent with the backing of both Trump and DeSantis.
