Black Church played a role in suprise election result in Florida

The Black Church played a role in a surprise upset in Florida’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Aug. 18.

Angie Nixon upset the favored candidate, retired Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, to win the spot on November’s ballot against GOP Sen. Ashley Moody, who was appointed to her seat by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the vacancy Marco Rubio left when he became secretary of state. Whoever wins the race will serve the rest of Rubio’s term, through 2028.

If Nixon wins in November, she would be the first Black senator in Florida history.

Vindman served as director of European affairs for the National Security Council until 2020. He came to national attention in 2019 as a witness in the congressional impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump during the Trump–Ukraine scandal. He described concerns about a now infamous call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that became part of the impeachment charges.

Vindman distanced himself from the Democratic Party’s left flank, while Nixon registered as a Democratic Socialist and represents the left flank. Vindman raised more than $20 million for the campaign compared to Nixon’s less than $1 million.

Nixon ran on a platform of cost-of-living concerns, access to health care, housing and food assistance. She won the primary with about 56% of the statewide Democratic vote.

She has served in the Florida House of Representatives representing District 13 — which includes Duval County and parts of Jacksonville — since 2020.

Nixon is a small-business owner from Jacksonville. She drew attention this year when she staged a sit-in at DeSantis’ office to protest his gerrymandered congressional maps. She was arrested and is to face a trial next month.

Although not a clergyperson — a trend in this year’s Democratic midterms — Nixon drew strong endorsements from the Black Church.

On July 29, her campaign posted this note: “Many of us in the movement can thank our moral clarity and courage to those who came before us, rooted in the Black Church. I am honored to receive the endorsement of @BlackChurchPAC, a coalition of faith leaders who are united to fight for our communities.”

Earlier, she attended a political rally at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Miami, a site once visited by Martin Luther King and one of the first meeting places for both the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. At that rally, a procession of pastors endorsed her and said “she’s the one” to win the race and serve the people of Florida.

“We need her voice. We need her fight. And more importantly we need her integrity in a time such as this,” one of the pastors declared.

Nixon addressed the church crowd and pledged to pursue social justice causes “to protect us all from predatory corporations, greedy landlords and corrupt politicians. We are the ones being pushed around. We are done with spineless politicians who ask for our votes on Sunday morning and sell us out to corporate lobbyists at lunch on Sunday afternoon.”

She said the faith leaders are part of a “grassroots momentum” that will carry her “all the way to the ballot box and then to Washington, D.C. We are going to win and we are going to finally give Florida a senator who actually fights for the people and who is working to build a Florida and an America for all.”

Nixon’s win in the primary gives fuel to the fire Republicans have been stoking nationwide, as they will attempt to portray her as a far-left idealogue. Florida is a deep red state that in 2024 voted for Donald Trump by a 13-point margin.

The other sitting U.S. senator from Florida not up for re-election this year is Rick Scott, a Trump ally.

 

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