Florida Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon says her own party is holding back money from her campaign because Democratic donors believe Florida voters are too racist to elect her.
Nixon made the comments to Politico’s Dasha Burns on the Friday episode of Burns’ podcast, “The Conversation.” Burns asked what role race has played in her campaign, particularly in support from the national party and donors, noting that Nixon has said Democrats underinvest in the South, where most Black Americans live.
Nixon first pointed to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss in Florida in the 2024 presidential race, saying donors are “a little shy” because Harris could not win the state.
She then said race may still be a factor, though not in the way some might assume.
“I don’t think it’s something nefarious or that people trying to, that Democratic donors are racist towards me,” Nixon said. “I would say it’s that they think that the state is racist and they’re just hesitant to donate because of it.”
Asked whether Democrats have made a mistake by underinvesting, Nixon didn’t hold back. “Democrats, they made a huge mistake by not investing in this state,” she said, arguing that laws now on the books in states across the country exist because “Florida was ground zero.”
Nixon, a Jacksonville state representative backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, won the Democratic nomination in an upset over former national security official Alexander Vindman, beating him by almost 12 points. She joined the DSA in June. She is now running against Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who is seeking to serve the remainder of Marco Rubio’s term.
National Democrats have largely kept their distance. Through Aug. 31, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had given direct contributions to six other nominees but none to Nixon, and had transferred only $29,000 to the Florida Democratic Party.
The money gap is wide. As of the end of July, Moody had raised more than $11 million to Nixon’s $975,000. Florida also has 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats.
Nixon has found some allies on the left. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has endorsed her and steered millions toward helping her campaign. Moody, meanwhile, has run an ad branding Nixon a socialist and highlighting her DSA ties.
Polls show Moody ahead, with one recent survey putting the Republican up four points. In a state that has trended steadily red, Nixon’s latest comments are unlikely to change national Democrats’ calculations. They do show a growing split between the party’s establishment and its progressive wing over where to spend in the final days of the midterms.
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