Ashley Moody won Florida’s special Senate election, beating Democrat Angie Nixon, so the seat she was appointed to last year is now hers in her own right.
Ashley Moody is a Republican senator from Florida. She did not start out elected to the Senate — she was picked for the job.
Moody was Florida’s attorney general from 2019. In 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the Senate to replace Marco Rubio when he left to become secretary of state.
That appointment only filled the seat for a time. Florida law required a special election, and voters had the final say on Tuesday.
Moody defeated Angie Nixon, a Democratic state representative. The Associated Press called the race at 8:34 p.m. ET. The win lets Moody serve the rest of Rubio’s term in her own right, as an elected senator rather than an appointed one.
Her win matters because it keeps the seat in Republican hands without changing the balance of the Senate. Watch how Moody, a close ally of Florida’s governor, builds her own record in Washington now that voters — not an appointment — put her there.
Fast facts
- Age: 51
- Party: Republican
- Office: U.S. Senator
- State: Florida
- Previous job: Florida attorney general (2019–2025)
- Called by AP: 8:34 p.m. ET, Nov. 3, 2026
Part of the Zark News Election 2026 winners profile series. Winners are listed as called by the Associated Press.
