Moody projected to win Florida Senate seat in tight contest with Angie Nixon

Incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) is projected to defeat democratic socialist Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon (D), according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).

Moody led Nixon by 0.7 percentage points with 84.3 percent of the vote reported, according to DDHQ as of 8:03 p.m. EST Tuesday.

Moody bested Nixon in a race the Cook Political Report said solidly favored Republicans. The senator entered the upper chamber last year after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) appointed her to the role when Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined President Trump’s Cabinet.

The senator’s victory concluded a tumultuous race where Nixon, who won her Democratic primary in a shocking victory , called for Moody to be “ locked up and punished in jail ” over accusations she approved of mishandling taxpayer funds into a charity called Hope Florida while she was the state’s attorney general.

Moody was reportedly aware of the plan to divert the payment and “authorized” John Guard, her former chief deputy attorney general, to sign the settlement agreement, according to a sealed grand jury report obtained by CBS News Miami .

The Florida Republican campaigned on supporting Trump’s immigration agenda and “standing up for the rule of law,” according to her campaign website . She highlighted her legal background on the campaign trail, placing a heavy emphasis on law enforcement and public safety.

She painted her race against Nixon as one between “safety and chaos,” Florida NBC affiliate WPTV reported .

“This election is Freedom vs. Socialism,” Moody wrote on Facebook in August. “We cannot afford to have the radical Left take over our Free State.”

Trump endorsed Moody , praising her record in his home state and telling voters she was “doing a tremendous job representing the incredible people of Florida, a State I love, and WON BIG, in 2016, 2020, and 2024!”