2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
2 candidates · ballot order · Ashley Moody currently holds this seat
High confidenceHigh confidenceBacked by government records or the candidate's own official statements, with agreement across several independent sources.What would raise it: Nothing missing — this is the strongest evidence tier.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Securing the southern border.
Fighting the opioid and fentanyl epidemic, which she made a priority as Attorney General.
Tax cuts for working-class Americans.
Public safety and support for law enforcement.
Alignment with President Trump's agenda.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Senator from Florida since January 2025, by appointment.
Attorney General of Florida, 2019–2025; previously a state circuit judge and a federal prosecutor.
Made fentanyl enforcement a priority as Attorney General; Florida's fentanyl death rate fell 11% in 2023 against a 2% national decline.
Signed Florida onto the Texas-led Supreme Court case seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election result.
As Attorney General, joined state-led federal litigation seeking to invalidate the Affordable Care Act.
As Attorney General, sought an investigation into Michael Bloomberg's effort to pay court fees so people with felony convictions could vote.
Won the August 18 2026 Republican primary with 79.6%.
Endorsed by President Trump, the Florida Farm Bureau Federation FedPAC, the Florida State Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of Realtors PAC.
Arguments in favor
She is doing a tremendous job representing the people of Florida and has complete and total support from the President.
— President Donald Trump, in his endorsement
As Attorney General she made fentanyl her top priority, and Florida's fentanyl death rate fell 11% in 2023 while the national rate fell only 2%.
— Ashley Moody for U.S. Senate campaign
She has broad institutional backing across Florida — the Farm Bureau, the state Fraternal Order of Police and the Realtors' PAC have all endorsed her.
— Florida Farm Bureau Federation FedPAC, Florida State Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of Realtors PAC
Arguments against
She worked for over a year to silence the voices of Floridians who wanted Amendment 4 on the ballot, weaponizing state law and the Florida Constitution to score political points.
— Florida Democratic Party
She is facing renewed scrutiny over the Hope Florida affair and her role in a $10 million transfer that was later diverted to political committees.
— Florida Democrats, as reported by the Miami Dispatch
She signed Florida onto the case seeking to overturn the 2020 election, sought to investigate an effort helping people with felony convictions pay court fees so they could vote, and joined litigation to invalidate the Affordable Care Act; a CNN analysis also placed her among senators holding stock in industries their committees regulate.
— CNN analysis of senators' stock holdings, and Florida Democratic Party criticism
What we couldn’t verify
The status and findings of any inquiry into the Hope Florida transfers, and her own account of her role.
Her position on federal abortion legislation.
Her position on the future of the Affordable Care Act now that she is a senator rather than a state litigant.
Rent stabilisation to address the housing affordability crisis.
An incremental shift toward Medicare for All.
Confronting corporate greed and corporate power.
Protecting and expanding abortion access; she opposes six-week bans and frames the issue partly around Black maternal health.
Humanitarian treatment of migrants and opposition to expanded immigration detention facilities in Florida.
A foreign policy oriented toward diplomacy; she is open to lifting the trade embargo on Cuba.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Florida State Representative for a Jacksonville-area district since 2020.
Former labour organiser.
Led a sit-in on the Florida House floor in 2022 against the Governor's congressional redistricting map, and livestreamed the confrontation after House cameras were cut; she was formally reprimanded for breaking decorum.
Sponsored state measures to increase transparency around immigration enforcement.
Joined the Democratic Socialists of America around the time of the primary.
Won the August 18 2026 Democratic primary with about 56% over Alex Vindman.
Arguments in favor
She won an upset primary victory against a far better-funded opponent, on a platform of rent stabilisation, expanded health care access and taking on corporate power.
— Angie Nixon for U.S. Senate campaign
She has a record of confronting power directly — leading the 2022 House floor sit-in against the Governor's redistricting map and livestreaming it when the chamber's cameras were cut.
— Florida Phoenix and Axios reporting
She joined the Democratic Socialists of America to tap its grassroots organising network and because she supports its fights on housing, public education, corporate power and Medicare for All.
— State Rep. Angie Nixon
Arguments against
She is a socialist and cannot run away from it: 'Socialism has no place in the Sunshine State and Floridians will reject socialist Nixon in November.'
— Nick Puglia, National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman
She is a card-carrying DSA member who has said she takes her own children to drag shows and called them 'wholesome entertainment' with no sexualisation involved.
— National Republican Senatorial Committee
Her policy positions are too far left for Florida, a state that has moved decisively Republican, and her association with democratic socialists makes her unelectable statewide.
— Sen. Ashley Moody and the Republican Party of Florida
What we couldn’t verify
The 'socialist' attack is itself contested: both WLRN and Axios reported that her ties to the Democratic Socialists of America appear limited and that Moody's characterisation misleads. Readers should weigh the attack and that finding together.
How her incremental path to Medicare for All would work in practice.
Her position on Israel and Gaza, beyond a general preference for diplomacy.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
SPECIAL ELECTION. This fills the remainder of Marco Rubio's term, which runs through 2028; Rubio resigned in January 2025 to become Secretary of State, and Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Ashley Moody to the seat. Roster established from NBC News, WLRN, Axios, the Florida Phoenix and Florida Politics, cross-checked. In the August 18 2026 primaries Moody won the Republican nomination with 79.6% over Chris Gleason, Ernest Rivera and Neelam Taneja Perry; state Rep. Angie Nixon won the Democratic nomination with about 56% over Alex Vindman, an upset given Vindman's large fundraising advantage.
UNRESOLVED — worth a reviewer's check: Ballotpedia's race page lists Neil Gilespie and Neelam Perry as also running in the special general election, but gives no party for either and Perry lost the Republican primary, so any general-election candidacy would have to be under a different route. Neither could be confirmed by a second source and no material on either was found, so they are not listed as candidates below. Wikipedia's page also references American Party and Veterans Party sections without naming qualified candidates.
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