Florida Sets Its Fall Ballot: A MAGA Favorite, an Ex-Republican, and a Democratic Socialist

OAKLAND PARK, FLORIDA - AUGUST 18: People watch the early returns on television as they wait for Florida Democratic Senate candidate, retired Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, at his primary election-night watch party, held at the American Legion Post 222 event hall on August 18, 2026, in Oakland Park, Florida. Vindman is hoping to be the Democratic nominee and would challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Ashley Moody on November 3rd. (Credit: Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Florida voters narrowed the fall governor's race and delivered a genuine surprise in a marquee Senate contest on Tuesday, closing out a primary night that tested how far President Donald Trump's political pull still reaches down the ballot. Statewide participation trailed the state's last comparable open-seat primary, even though several headline races were settled within an hour of poll closing, according to results tallied by News4Jax.

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