Moody secures Senate seat in Florida runoff

Ashley Moody has won reelection to the U.S. Senate, the Associated Press projected as polls closed across Florida. The Republican secured the seat previously held by Marco Rubio, who departed for the State Department in January 2025.

Moody was appointed to the position by Governor Ron DeSantis in January 2025 to fill the vacancy. She is a fifth-generation Floridian who was born and raised in Plant City. Her legal career includes service as Florida's attorney general from 2019 to 2025 and a tenure as a Hillsborough County circuit court judge.

Prior to her judicial roles, Moody worked as a federal prosecutor handling cases involving drugs, firearms, and fraud. She holds bachelor's, master's, and law degrees from the University of Florida, along with a Master of Laws from Stetson University.

Her opponent, Democrat Angie Nixon, served as a state representative for a district in Jacksonville. Nixon was first elected to the Florida House in 2020. Before entering state politics, she worked as a union organizer and served as the executive director of Florida for All, a coalition focused on voter registration.

Nixon, a mother of two, also operates a bookstore and community hub in Jacksonville. She is a University of Florida graduate who campaigned on issues including affordable child care, consumer protections, education, and voting rights.

Most Florida polling places operated from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Election Day. Some counties in the Panhandle, located in the Central Time Zone, kept polls open until 8 p.m. EST. Preliminary results were scheduled for release after 8 p.m. EST due to the state's two time zones.

The race concluded with Moody retaining the Senate seat. The victory finalizes the transition of power in the state's junior Senate position following the earlier appointment process.