Florida’s Special Senate Election Puts the State at the Center of the Battle for Congress

For the first time in 90 years, Florida voters will choose a senator in a special election, adding another high-stakes contest to a national fight for control of Washington.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida voters will head to the polls this year for an unusual election that could help determine the balance of power in Washington.

The state is holding a special election for the U.S. Senate seat formerly occupied by Marco Rubio, who resigned after President Donald Trump selected him to serve as secretary of state. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed then-Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to temporarily fill the vacancy. Now Moody must face voters if she wants to remain in Washington.

The special election will be held Nov. 3, alongside the national midterm elections. Florida's primary is scheduled for Aug. 18.

Moody enters the Republican primary as the incumbent and overwhelming favorite against Chris Gleason, Neelam Perry and Ernie Rivera.

Democrats, meanwhile, face a consequential choice between retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon. Vindman, who became nationally known after testifying during Trump's first impeachment inquiry, brings national recognition and a fundraising advantage. Nixon is emphasizing her Florida roots and experience in state politics.

Whoever emerges will compete for a seat that has increasingly reflected Florida's movement toward the Republican Party.

Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate election in Florida since 2012, and Trump carried the state by roughly 13 percentage points in 2024. Current polling also gives Moody an advantage. Decision Desk HQ's polling average recently placed her at 47 percent against Vindman's 40 percent in a potential general-election matchup.

Still, the political environment surrounding the race extends far beyond Florida.

Thirty-five Senate seats are being contested nationwide this year, and Republicans are attempting to preserve their majority while Democrats search for opportunities to gain seats. Competitive contests elsewhere — including North Carolina, Ohio and Texas — could make every unexpected shift increasingly important as November approaches.

Florida's election is unusual for another reason. It is the state's first special U.S. Senate election since 1936. The winner will not initially receive a full six-year term but will complete the remaining two years of Rubio's term.

That means Floridians could vote for the same Senate seat again in 2028.

For Moody, November represents an opportunity to transform an appointment from the governor into a mandate from Florida voters. For Democrats, the race represents an opportunity — albeit a difficult one — to test whether Florida's dramatic Republican shift can be reversed.

And for the rest of the country, Florida's special election will be one more piece of a much larger struggle over who controls Congress during the final two years of Trump's current term.