Alex Vindman, a former national security official who played a key role in the first impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, lost a stunning upset to a progressive challenger in Florida’s U.S. Senate race Tuesday.
Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon overcame a staggering 16-to-1 spending differential to win, instead relying on a robust ground operation in what was expected to be a low-turnout primary. Given Florida’s status as a solidly red state that broke for Trump by double digits in 2024, the matchup saw no public polling before the primary — giving little indication that Nixon stood much of a chance against the name recognition and massive war chest of her opponent.
Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, is the latest resistance hero from Trump’s first term to stumble at the ballot box. The former national security official served as a witness during Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2019, testifying to his concerns about a phone call between the president and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Trump pressured his counterpart to investigate Joe Biden.
Trump was ultimately acquitted by the Senate on both counts, but Vindman’s role in the process made him a liberal darling, appearing on cable news and even scoring a cameo on Larry David’s HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
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The status made him a prolific fundraiser. Heading into the primary, Vindman had collected more than $16 million, far outpacing the roughly $975,000 raised by Nixon.
Ahead of Tuesday’s election, Vindman was so sure of his victory that he had scheduled a fundraiser for Sunday on the posh island of Nantucket, The New York Times reported.
Nixon instead relied on her ground operation and the backing of the insurgent Democratic Socialists of America, an organization she said she joined earlier this summer. Volunteers were often spotted wearing Nixon’s signature hot pink, a color she frequently wore for public appearances.
The strategy of direct contact with voters netted her big numbers in urban counties, including her hometown of Jacksonville and those surrounding Miami, where Vindman moved after leaving Washington.
“Rep. Nixon ran a strong campaign. She challenged the status quo. She put in the hard work, and tonight, she earned the nomination,” Vindman said in a concession speech after the race had been called. He later said in a post on X that he planned to stand “by her side in the fight against Ashley Moody,” the Republican candidate.
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