U.S. Senate (special election)
One of Florida's two members of the U.S. Senate. Votes on federal laws, the federal budget, treaties, and confirmation of judges and cabinet officials. This special election fills the seat Marco Rubio vacated in 2025; the winner serves until the regular 2028 election. Term: Remainder of term ending January 2029.
How we verified who is on the ballot
Third pass (Sept 17, 2026): verified against the Sumter County Supervisor of Elections' official 2026 General Election sample ballot, which lists Ashley Moody (REP), Angie Nixon (DEM) and Neil J. Gillespie (NPA) for United States Senator with no write-in line.
Sources: elections.sumtercountyfl.gov · files.floridados.gov
Candidates
Ashley Moody
Ashley Moody, born 1975 in Plant City, earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida and later served as a federal prosecutor in the Middle District of Florida. She was elected a Hillsborough County circuit judge in 2006, then elected Florida Attorney General in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. Gov. …
Angie Nixon
Angela 'Angie' Nixon was born February 27, 1984, in Jacksonville and raised in the Moncrief neighborhood by a single mother. She attended Stanton College Preparatory School and graduated from the University of Florida in 2007 with a political science degree. She worked as a higher-education director, community and uni…
Neil J. Gillespie
Neil J. Gillespie, 68, is an Ocala (Oak Run) resident, blogger and founder of 'Justice Network,' which he describes as advocacy, education and news-gathering to help people fight injustice. Describing himself as a disabled non-lawyer, he has litigated pro se for years, including a challenge to the constitutionality of…
Side-by-side on the major issues
AgreeDiffer a littleDiffer stronglyNot enough data· hover for details, click to jump to the row
Taxes & spendingHousing affordabilityImmigrationAbortionGunsHealth careSocial Security & MedicareEducation & school choiceEnvironment & waterElections & votingCrime & policingGender identity lawsEnergy & utilitiesTariffs & tradeUkraineTrump administrationVeterans
Where the candidates in this race split, issue by issue.
Strongly agreesLeans agreeMixed / neutralLeans disagreeStrongly disagreesNo public position found
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Ashley Moody Republican | Angie Nixon Democratic | Neil J. Gillespie No Party Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Strongly agrees· based on record Moody voted for the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act and described it as 'the largest tax cut for the working and middle class in history,' highlighting no tax on most tips and overtime and relief for seniors on Social Security income. Her campaign lists the economy and tax relief among its core themes. | Strongly disagrees· stated position Nixon proposes raising taxes on the wealthy rather than cutting them: a 5% annual wealth tax on billionaires, taxing capital gains at the same rate as wages, closing the stepped-up-basis and offshore loopholes, a federal asset registry and stronger IRS enforcement, to fund programs such as Medicare for All and universal child care. She has said she would work to repeal the 2025 Trump tax cuts. | No public position found |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | Leans agree· based on record Moody's first Senate bill, the HELPER Act, would create an FHA home-loan program for law-enforcement officers, firefighters, other first responders and K-12 teachers with no down payment and no monthly mortgage-insurance premium. She has not proposed broader housing subsidies, zoning changes or rent measures. | Leans agree· stated position Nixon's campaign says tackling the affordability crisis, including housing costs, is a core priority and she discussed housing policy in a Fox 13 interview; specific federal housing proposals (subsidies, zoning or rent measures) could not be verified from accessible sources. | No public position found |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Strongly agrees· based on record Moody has made border security and immigration enforcement a centerpiece of her Senate work and campaign. She introduced the Expedited Removal of Criminal Aliens Act, co-introduced the White House-backed REMOVE Act to conclude removal proceedings within 15 days, and filed the RIPPLE Act to expand the 287(g) state-local enforcement program. Haitian TPS advocates in Miami have pressed her to protect TPS holders from deportation. Sources: Immigration, crime and economy shape Ashley Moody's Senate … (2026-09-07) · Senator Ashley Moody Leads Efforts to Codify President Trum… (2025) · Senators Ashley Moody, Marsha Blackburn and Colleagues Intr… (2025-06) · Senator Ashley Moody Introduces Legislation to Empower Stat… (2025-05) · Miami Activists Press Moody, Scott on Haitian TPS - Hoodline (2026-09) | Strongly disagrees· stated position Nixon calls mass deportation a 'moral failure,' says she would abolish ICE and rebuild immigration enforcement, supports a moratorium on deportations pending an audit of enforcement practices, a 'swift' path to citizenship for Dreamers and undocumented residents, and renewal and expansion of TPS. She joined advocates urging Miami to end its 287(g) agreement with ICE and has called ICE agents 'modern-day slave catchers.' Sources: Angie Nixon for U.S. Senate - Priorities · US Senate candidate Angie Nixon joins immigration advocates… (2026-08-03) · Angie Nixon compares ICE agents to 'modern-day slave catche… (2026-08-22) · Florida's Socialist Senate Candidate Angie Nixon Campaigns … (2026-08-19) · How aligned is Angie Nixon with democratic socialists? - Po… (2026-08-21) | No public position found |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Strongly disagrees· based on record Moody has pledged to be a pro-life lawmaker. In the Senate she introduced the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, sponsored the Pregnant Students' Rights Act and cosponsored the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. SBA Pro-Life America tracks her as pro-life; Reproductive Freedom for All scores her record as opposed to abortion rights. Sources: Sen. Ashley Moody - SBA Pro-Life America Scorecard · Senator Moody Introduces Child Interstate Abortion Notifica… (2025) · Senator Moody Supports Life, Sponsors Pregnant Students' Ri… (2025) · Ashley Moody cosponsors bill calling for more penalties for… (2025) · Ashley Moody's Congressional Scorecard - Reproductive Freed… | Strongly agrees· based on record Nixon voted against Florida's six-week abortion ban in the Legislature and supports protecting and expanding access to abortion and reproductive care, describing restrictions as a threat to Black maternal health and bodily autonomy. In 2021 she warned that Republican control would bring a 'full-scale assault on a woman's right to choose,' and she opposed a fetal-personhood measure, calling it 'devastating.' Sources: Angie Nixon: Dems losing in 2022 would lead to 'full-scale … (2021-09) · Democrat Angie Nixon: Giving Unborn Babies Human Rights Wou… (2026-09-01) · Angie Nixon said giving unborn babies rights would be 'deva… (2026-09) · Angie Nixon - Wikipedia · Angie Nixon for U.S. Senate - Priorities (2026) | No public position found |
| GunsGun laws should be stricter (keep the red-flag law and the age-21 purchase rule; expand background checks) rather than looser (permitless or open carry, lower purchase age). | Strongly disagrees· based on record Moody cosponsored the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act in the Senate. As Florida Attorney General she joined a 26-state lawsuit to block a Biden-administration rule expanding background checks at gun shows, calling it federal overreach, and she petitioned the Florida Supreme Court against a proposed assault-weapons-ban ballot initiative. No specific statement on Florida's red-flag law or 21 purchase age was found. | Leans agree· based on record In the Florida House, Nixon opposed permitless ('constitutional') carry (HB 543, 2023) and supported maintaining training and background-check requirements and safe-storage measures; she discussed her opposition to permitless carry on the Florida Watch 'Keeping Watch' podcast. No federal gun platform (for example, on an assault-weapons ban) was found. | No public position found |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | Strongly disagrees· based on record In December 2025 Moody voted against a three-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies; Florida has about 4.7 million ACA marketplace enrollees. She voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the Congressional Budget Office estimated reduces federal Medicaid spending by roughly $1 trillion over a decade. She said the shutdown fight over subsidies was 'avoidable' and blamed Democrats for 'grandstanding.' | Strongly agrees· stated position Nixon supports Medicare for All, describing an incremental path that starts with permanently extending ACA subsidies, pressuring insurers to lower premiums and reforming the ACA, then moving to single-payer coverage including dental, vision, hearing, mental health, reproductive care and prescriptions. She argues it would cut costs by reducing emergency-room use and calls health care a human right. Sources: U.S. Senate Candidate Angie Nixon Marks 61st Anniversary of… (2026-07-30) · One-on-One: Senate candidate Angie Nixon outlines positions… (2026-08) · Angie Nixon says there are '$10 million reasons' to oppose … (2026-09-09) · Angie Nixon talks about affordability, universal health car… (2026-08-20) | No public position found |
| Social Security & MedicareSocial Security and Medicare benefits must be protected from any cuts, even if that requires more revenue. | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Nixon's platform says Social Security and Medicare must be defended 'without compromise' with no cuts, and she proposes funding expanded programs through higher taxes on billionaires and capital gains rather than benefit reductions. | No public position found |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | Strongly agrees· based on record Moody is co-chair of National School Choice Week, cosponsored the Educational Choice for Children Act (a federal tax-credit scholarship program), and held a Tampa news conference with Education Secretary Linda McMahon touting the school-choice provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. She cites Florida's universal school-choice program as a national model. | Strongly disagrees· based on record Nixon opposed Florida's 2023 universal school-voucher law (HB 1), offering an amendment to cap eligibility at $1 million household income that was voted down, and said the state should not be 'subsidizing millionaires or billionaires.' She describes public schools as a shared investment and argued the voucher expansion amounted to 'publicly funded discrimination in education.' | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | Leans agree· based on record Moody introduced the American Shores Protection Act to extend the ban on oil and gas drilling off Florida's coasts through 2032 and led a bipartisan Florida delegation letter to President Trump opposing drilling off Florida, citing tourism, the environment and the Gulf Test Range. No statement was found on broader conservation-land, water-quality or climate-resilience trade-offs with development. | Leans agree· stated position Nixon's platform calls the climate crisis an 'existential threat,' rejects what she calls a false choice between jobs and a livable planet, and says polluters should pay for the damage they have caused and taxpayer subsidies for fossil-fuel companies should end. No specific statement was found on conservation land, water quality or slowing development. | No public position found |
| Elections & votingVoting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions. | Strongly disagrees· based on record Moody cosponsored the SAVE Act / SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship and photo ID for federal elections, and as Attorney General led a 22-state coalition urging the Senate to pass it. In 2026 she pushed a combined voter-ID and congressional stock-trading-ban bill. As AG in 2020 she joined the Texas lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to overturn results in four states. Sources: Ashley Moody urges Senate to pass SAVE Act for election sec… (2024-07) · Ashley Moody pushes Senate to pass combined voter ID, stock… (2026) · Attorney General Moody and Coalition Call on US Senate to P… (2024-07) · Ashley Moody - Wikipedia · Sen. Ashley Moody, anti-voting hardliner, wins Florida GOP … (2026-08-18) | Strongly agrees· based on record Nixon opposes the federal SAVE Act (documentary proof of citizenship to register), arguing it creates barriers for older Americans, students and women who have changed their names. In the Florida House she voted against SB 90 (2021) and SB 7050 (2023), which tightened vote-by-mail, drop-box and third-party voter-registration rules, and she previously led Florida for All, a voter-registration coalition. | No public position found |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | Strongly agrees· based on record A former prosecutor and judge, Moody sits on the Judiciary Committee, where during her first Police Week the committee advanced an eight-bill law-enforcement package she promoted that boosts local police investment and officer benefits. She is a cosponsor of the Back the Blue Act creating new federal crimes and mandatory minimums for assaulting officers. The Florida Police Chiefs Association and other law-enforcement groups have endorsed her. | Leans disagree· stated position Nixon describes mass incarceration, like mass deportation, as a 'moral failure' and emphasizes reform. A WLRN/PolitiFact check of a Moody attack tying her to the DSA platform found the claim that she wants to defund police was misleading. | No public position found |
| Gender identity lawsFlorida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place. | Strongly agrees· based on record As Attorney General, Moody sued the Biden administration over a federal rule barring discrimination based on gender identity in health care, arguing it would force doctors to provide gender-affirming treatments to minors. Gov. DeSantis cited that record when appointing her, and in a 2025 Senate hearing she sharply questioned an LGBTQ legal advocate over gender-affirming care for minors. | Strongly disagrees· based on record In the Florida House Nixon voted against HB 1557 (2022, the Parental Rights in Education law) and SB 254 (2023, restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors), and offered an amendment to the 2023 drag-show bill. As a Senate candidate she said the Supreme Court's 2026 ruling allowing states to bar transgender girls from girls' sports 'puts trans children and all young girls and women athletes in harm's way,' and she has defended drag shows as 'wholesome' entertainment. Sources: HB 1557 (2022) - Florida Senate bill page with vote history (2022-03) · SB 254 (2023) - Florida Senate bill page with vote history (2023-05) · U.S. Senate Candidate Angie Nixon Responds to SCOTUS Ruling… (2026) · Florida Senate candidate Angie Nixon defends drag shows as … (2026-08) · 'Thunderdome of Hate': Florida House Debates Slew of Anti-L… (2023) | No public position found |
| Energy & utilitiesGovernment should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production. | Leans disagree· stated position Moody has said the U.S. must 'bring back energy dominance' in support of the Trump administration's fossil-fuel-focused energy policies, and as Attorney General she criticized California's 'Green New Deal' policies in a Supreme Court filing over interstate emissions lawsuits. She simultaneously opposes oil and gas drilling off Florida's coasts (American Shores Protection Act). No statement was found on renewable-energy incentives or utility-rate oversight specifically. | Strongly agrees· based on record In March 2025 Nixon joined Florida Democratic legislators in a letter urging the Public Service Commission to reject Florida Power & Light's proposed rate increase (the PSC approved a roughly $7 billion increase in November 2025). Her platform calls for a 'union-built' transition to renewable energy with jobs in wind, solar and grid modernization, ending fossil-fuel subsidies and making polluters pay. | No public position found |
| Tariffs & tradeTariffs on imported goods are good for the American economy. | Strongly agrees· based on record On April 2, 2025, Moody voted against S.J.Res. 37, the resolution (passed 51-48) to terminate the national emergency used to impose tariffs on Canadian imports. The same day she praised President Trump's 'Liberation Day' reciprocal-tariff announcement, saying the era of America 'being taken advantage of is over.' She and Sen. Rick Scott have also urged the administration to use trade leverage against a proposed international shipping levy. Sources: U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote 119th Congress, 1st Session, Vot… (2025-04-02) · S.J.Res. 37: terminating the national emergency declared to… (2025-04-02) · Support Grows for President Trump's America First Reciproca… (2025-04) · Ashley Moody, Rick Scott urge Donald Trump administration t… (2025-10) | Strongly disagrees· stated position In a Fox 13 interview, when asked about price controls, Nixon said her focus was on repealing the Trump-era tariffs, which she links to higher consumer prices; she attributes rising costs mainly to 'corporate greed.' | No public position found |
| UkraineThe U.S. should continue military aid to Ukraine. | Leans disagree· stated position In February 2022 Moody condemned Russia's invasion and said 'America must always stand for freedom.' In February 2025, after the Trump-Zelensky Oval Office meeting, she wrote that under Biden the U.S. 'poured billions of taxpayer dollars into Ukraine with no clear end to the war in sight' and that 'America is not your piggy bank,' thanking President Trump for pursuing peace. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | Strongly agrees· stated position Moody has closely aligned herself with President Trump, who gave her his 'Complete and Total Endorsement.' She said she is 'honored' to 'work together to bring America into the Golden Age and deliver the America First agenda,' and has appeared with Trump at events including in The Villages. Sources: President Donald J. Trump Endorses Ashley Moody to Return t… (2025-07) · Trump endorses Ashley Moody for Senate in 2026 - Tampa Bay … (2025-07-24) · Senator Moody and President Trump Tout Recent Policy Wins i… (2025) · Immigration, crime and economy shape Ashley Moody's Senate … (2026-09-07) | Strongly disagrees· stated position Nixon is a strong critic of President Trump. She called him an 'authoritarian bully' who does not respect the rule of law over his birthright-citizenship executive orders, said she would work to remove him from office, accused him of 'pushing communism' with his Venezuela oil deal, and said his rhetoric has normalized racist attacks. | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | Strongly agrees· based on record Moody introduced the Veterans Bill of Rights Act and the Veterans Outdoor Rehabilitation Act ($10 million a year in VA grants for outdoor programs aimed at reducing veteran suicide), cosponsored the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act to give combat-injured retirees full DOD retirement and VA disability pay, and supported the VETS Opportunity Act and Restore VA Accountability Act. | Leans agree· stated position Nixon has criticized Republicans in Washington for voting to 'privatize the VA and slash veterans' benefits,' and in a July 2025 Fox 13 interview said the Defense Department keeps failing its audits while veterans are homeless and military families rely on food assistance. She is endorsed by Common Defense, a progressive veterans organization. No detailed VA-expansion proposal was found. | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
RepublicanDemocraticNo Party Affiliation· photo or initials inside each bubble · hover or tap for details
Not enough documented positions to place: Neil J. Gillespie
How the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Ashley Moody | 1.00 (4 statements) | 1.60 (10 statements) |
| Angie Nixon | -1.57 (7 statements) | -1.70 (10 statements) |
| Neil J. Gillespie | not enough data | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Ashley Moody
- Offshore drilling moratorium (American Shores Protection Act) — Codify and extend through 2032 the ban on oil and gas drilling off Florida's Gulf and Atlantic coasts; she calls it a top 2026 legislative goal.
- Voter ID paired with congressional stock-trading ban — Pushed the Senate in 2026 to pass a combined bill requiring voter ID/proof of citizenship and banning stock trading by members of Congress.
- HELPER Act home loans for first responders and teachers — Create an FHA loan program with no down payment or monthly mortgage insurance for police, firefighters, EMTs and K-12 teachers.
- Kennedy Space Center and aerospace workforce — Says she passed legislation in 2025 supporting Kennedy Space Center and backs expanding Florida's technical/aerospace workforce.
- Opioid and fentanyl enforcement — Cites litigating Florida's multibillion-dollar opioid settlements as AG and lists fighting the opioid epidemic among her Senate priorities.
- Placement of unaccompanied migrant children (Stop GAPS Act) — Require HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement to coordinate with states before placing unaccompanied migrant children with sponsors.
- FEMA disaster reimbursements for Florida — Announced securing more than $1.5 billion in delayed FEMA disaster-recovery reimbursements for Florida in 2026 and pressed the FEMA nominee on Florida's outstanding funds.
- Blocking a proposed international shipping levy — With Sen. Rick Scott, urged the administration to use trade leverage to block an International Maritime Organization carbon-pricing framework she says would raise costs at Florida ports.
- Flood Insurance Relief Act (tax deduction for flood premiums) — Create a non-refundable federal tax deduction for flood-insurance premiums paid through NFIP or private insurers; introduced with Sen. Rick Scott in July 2025.
- 'Energy dominance' — Backs the Trump administration's push to expand domestic energy production ('bring back energy dominance') while opposing drilling off Florida's coast.
- Tax cut on Social Security income — Cites the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act's tax cuts 'on tips, overtime and Social Security income' as an accomplishment; no statement found on Social Security benefit levels or solvency.
Angie Nixon
- Medicare for All (incremental path) — Begin by permanently extending ACA subsidies and pressuring insurers, then move to a single-payer system covering dental, vision, hearing, mental health and prescriptions.
- Wealth tax and closing loopholes — A 5% annual wealth tax on billionaires, capital gains taxed as ordinary income, a federal asset registry and stronger IRS enforcement to fund social programs.
- Universal child care — Lists free or universal child care alongside Medicare for All as a central campaign goal.
- Abolish and rebuild ICE; deportation moratorium — Abolish ICE, pause deportations pending an audit of enforcement practices, and create a path to citizenship for Dreamers and undocumented residents.
- End unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel — Calls for ending unconditional military aid to Israel and U.S. support for settlements, a path to Palestinian self-determination through the UN, and has called Prime Minister Netanyahu a 'war criminal'; she filed a Florida House ceasefire resolution in 2023.
- Diplomacy over military engagement — Says the U.S. should use the UN and multilateral diplomacy rather than unilateral military action, and opposed U.S. military action against Iran.
- Birthright citizenship — Condemned President Trump's executive orders restricting birthright citizenship as unconstitutional.
- TPS for Haitians, Venezuelans and others — Calls for immediate renewal and expansion of Temporary Protected Status and a permanent path to citizenship for TPS holders.
- Federal reinsurance backstop for property insurance — Calls for federal action on Florida's property-insurance crisis, including reinsurance backstops and stronger consumer protections.
- Opposing FPL rate increases / utility oversight — Joined a 2025 legislators' letter urging the Public Service Commission to reject Florida Power & Light's rate increase.
- Federal cannabis descheduling with expungement — Remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act with expungement, resentencing and reinvestment in affected communities.
- Repeal Trump-era tariffs — Says repealing the Trump tariffs is part of her plan to lower consumer prices.
- End the war in Iran; cut the defense budget — Priorities page calls for an 'end to the war in Iran' and opposes the '$1.01 trillion defense budget'; it does not mention Ukraine.
Neil J. Gillespie
- Opposition to the two-party 'duopoly' — His central argument is opposition to the two-party system: he invokes George Washington's farewell warning about political factions and says he would give Floridians an 'independent voice' in Washington.
- Justice reform / courts — Founder of 'Justice Network,' described as advocacy, education and news gathering to help people fight injustice; a long-time pro se litigant whose blog and YouTube channel focus on court-system and consumer grievances (including reverse-mortgage foreclosure).
- 'Working-class capitalist' economics — Self-describes as a working-class capitalist with anti-socialist rhetoric.
- Abolish PACER fees — Says 'it's time for Congress to abolish the fees altogether' for federal court records, arguing the judiciary overcharged the public.
- A 'People's union' for pro se litigants — Writes that 'it is time for a People's union to support nonlawyers who appear pro se in court.'
- Health-care costs and dialysis transportation — Criticizes dialysis providers for not arranging patient transportation and asks why 'healthcare in America costs so much.'