Florida’s primary elections have been a mixed bag of surprises and expected outcomes, highlighting the tensions in both major US parties as they prepare for November’s midterm elections.
The contests held on Tuesday were the first conducted under the state’s newly redrawn congressional map, which observers say was designed to favour Republicans and could leave Democrats with a minuscule number of Florida’s 28 House seats.
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The results produced a major upset within the Democratic Party, as progressive state lawmaker Angie Nixon defeated the much better-funded former national security official Alexander Vindman in their Senate primary race.
Meanwhile, Republican Congressman Byron Donalds won the nomination for governor with President Donald Trump’s backing, putting him on course to potentially become Florida’s first Black governor.
Here are some key takeaways from Florida’s primaries:
Progressive wins in major upset
Nixon’s victory over Vindman is another sign that progressive candidates are starting to break through against better-funded establishment rivals.
Nixon, a state lawmaker and former labour activist, raised less than $1m, while Vindman outraised her by more than 16 to 1. Vindman was nationally known for his testimony during Trump’s first impeachment hearing in 2019, while Nixon had built her profile in Florida politics and among progressives. She was backed by prominent progressive figures, including Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
Her victory continues a pattern seen in other Democratic primaries this year, where progressive candidates have defeated more established and heavily funded opponents.
Nixon will now face Republican Senator Ashley Moody in November in a special election for the final two years of former Senator Marco Rubio’s term. Rubio vacated the seat after becoming Trump’s secretary of state.
But the Tuesday primaries didn’t all go the way of the Democratic Socialists. In another Florida primary, union organiser Oliver Larkin was defeated by incumbent Democrat Congressman Jared Moskowitz in a new Republican-friendly district.
In another sigh of relief for establishment Democrats, longtime US Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz easily won the most contentious race, beating Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and three other Black candidates in a plurality-Black district.
Cherfilus-McCormick had resigned earlier this year under a pending federal indictment and the threat of House ethics sanctions but wanted her seat back.
Trump-backed Donalds wins
Republicans had a clearer result in the governor’s race, where Trump-backed Congressman Byron Donalds won the nomination to succeed term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis.
Donalds is now set to face Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican who later became an independent before joining the Democratic Party. If Donalds wins in November, he would become Florida’s first Black governor.
He is also part of a historically large field of Black gubernatorial nominees across the country this year. There is currently only one Black governor in the nation, Democrat Wes Moore of Maryland, who is seeking re-election in November.
Donalds’ win reinforces Trump’s influence over Republican primary voters, but Florida’s political shift to the right remains the bigger factor in the governor’s race.
Cory Mills becomes another Republican incumbent to fall
Republican Congressman Cory Mills lost his primary to former television news anchor Ryan Elijah, ending Mills’ bid for a third term.
Mills had been facing ethics investigations and allegations of misconduct, which had made his re-election increasingly difficult.
Trump had initially backed Mills in February but did not include him in a list of endorsements on Monday.
Far-right Randy Fine keeps his seat
The incumbent overcame challenges from a slew of candidates to secure the Republican primary nomination for Florida’s 6th Congressional District.
Since being elected to Congress last year, Trump ally Representative Fine has come to symbolise anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian rhetoric in mainstream US politics.
The staunchly pro-Israel legislator suggested last year that all Muslims should be destroyed. He has cheered the starvation of children in Gaza and has called on Israel to use nuclear weapons against the Palestinian territory. He faced a crowded pool of challengers, including, most notably, internet personality Daniel Bilzerian, who himself has faced accusations of anti-Semitism.
