Anti-Israel socialist candidate Angie Nixon pulled off an upset victory late Tuesday in Florida’s Democratic Party primary for a US Senate seat, defeating odd-on favorite Alex Vindman for the nomination.
Her win came as Israel and antisemitism played a major role across Florida’s primary elections, which had several prominent anti-Israel, and even openly anti-Jewish, candidates on the ballot, including Dan Bilzerian and James Fishback, both of whom were comfortably defeated by pro-Israel candidates in their Republican Party primaries. Elsewhere in the state, several Jewish, pro-Israel candidates won races in heavily Jewish districts, beating out anti-Zionist challengers.
In the Democratic Party Senate primary, Democratic Socialists of America-backed Nixon defeated Vindman, a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and Ukraine-born Jewish refugee who outraised her 16-fold, to secure the party’s nomination. But she faces an uphill battle in November’s general election, as Democrats haven’t held a US Senate seat in Florida since 2019.
Nixon will face off against Republican nominee and incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody, who replaced Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he assumed the top diplomat role in the Trump administration.
Nixon has made noise in her party for pushing pro-Palestinian legislation on the state level, advocating for “de-escalation and ceasefire in the state of Israel and occupied Palestine,” less than a month after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel.
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Vindman, whose twin brother is a congressman in Virginia, attained broader name recognition during the first Trump administration, when he publicly testified about a controversial phone call between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and his wife, Rachel Vindman, during a campaign event at the Broward County Democratic Clubs and Caucuses on February 9, 2026, in Sunrise, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images via JTA)
Somewhat unusually, Trump celebrated the result, posting on Truth Social: “SleazeBag Vindman loses tonight to a Radical Left Lunatic. How cool is that???”
“A lot of great WINS tonight!!!” the president wrote, as candidates he endorsed secured several nominations in his home state.
One such win was Jewish far-right firebrand Rep. Randy Fine, who secured a landslide victory in his Florida GOP primary, ending perhaps the most toxic race in the state, which was marked by antisemitic tropes, allusions to Adolf Hitler and sharp attacks on Islam.
He soundly defeated influencer Dan Bilzerian, who has spread conspiracy theories about Jews, has previously said that he wants to “kill Israelis” and described his opponent as a “fat Jew.”
“District 6 understands the Jewish problem,” Bilzerian posted on X on Saturday, following up the next day with a message that “the Jew is scared.” A recent Bilzerian campaign music video referenced Adolf Hitler in a positive light, featuring the lyrics, “Should we revisit that Austrian painter’s opinions?”
Florid Rep. Randy Fine (L), and antisemitic influencer Dan Bilzerian. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via JTA, Randy Shropshire / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Fine, meanwhile, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Bilzerian is “an open Nazi who transported himself from Las Vegas to Florida in order to target me.”
Fine is not without controversy himself, however, as he drew bipartisan criticism earlier this year for saying, in response to a Muslim activist who — in line with her religion — called to end the use of dogs as indoor pets: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” He also said that “we need more Islamophobia, not less.”
He also said during the war in Gaza that Palestinians in the enclave should “starve away” until the Israeli hostages were released.
Pro-Israel, Jewish candidates secure party noms
Elsewhere in Florida, pro-Israel, Jewish longtime Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz won the Democratic primary in her newly redrawn district.
The victory positions Wasserman Schultz to serve a 12th term in Congress. She switched districts after Republicans redrew the state’s congressional map to boost their chances in November.
Wasserman Schultz faced criticism for running in a district that has elected Black Democrats to Congress since 1992.
She defeated several opponents in the primary, including Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who wanted her seat back after resigning earlier this year while facing an ethics investigation.
US Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, left, greets voters while campaigning for Florida’s 20th congressional district in the Florida primary election, August 18, 2026, in Tamarac, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Fellow pro-Israel, Jewish Rep. Jared Moskowitz also secured a Democratic Party nomination, comfortably staving off a primary challenge from anti-Zionist progressive Oliver Larkin in Florida’s newly redrawn 25th Congressional District.
The race offered a test of whether the Democratic Party’s progressive insurgency could extend to a district that includes Delray Beach, Boca Raton and Miami Beach and an electorate that is roughly 25 percent Jewish, highlighting the party’s widening divisions over Israel.
Moskowitz won the primary with roughly 64% of votes over Larkin who had nearly 36%, with 85% of votes counted.
Larkin’s language alarmed some Jews, including his labeling of modern-day Israel as a “religious supremacist” country and his call for Israel to become a “secular” state. “I do not support a religious supremacist regime, whether it be in Israel or Saudi Arabia, or any other country,” Larkin told Fox News.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz speaks during a news conference outside of the US Capitol Building on June 9, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images via JTA)
Larkin supports a complete arms embargo on Israel, and told JTA that that should be “the minimum standard for anyone claiming to support democracy.” Asked by Fox News if he supports selling defensive weapons to Israel, Larkin responded, “I do not make a distinction between offensive and defensive weaponry.”
He also backed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s goal of arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Larkin doubled down after Mamdani backed away from the stance, saying, “I believe that the United States, any federal or otherwise law enforcement entity that has the legal jurisdiction to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu for his war crimes — that should be enforced.”
Additionally, South Florida Democrat Rep. Lois Frankel defeated outsider Victoria Doyle in a Democratic primary race on Tuesday, positioning the longstanding Jewish candidate for a likely victory this November.
Frankel faced a serious challenge from Doyle on the campaign trail, particularly after a statewide reshuffling of districts ended up reshaping local constituencies. President Donald Trump had pushed for GOP governors to reshape voting boundaries, in a bid to strengthen the Republican party’s grasp on Capitol Hill. Responding in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and state legislators opted to merge multiple Democratic districts.
Prior to the redistricting, Frankel was serving constituents from Delray to West Palm Beach in the state’s 22nd District. But the revamped District 22, which is expected to turn red, will instead stretch from Palm Beach County to Marco Island on the Gulf Coast. Frankel, who has been in Congress since 2013, opted to run in a reshaped 23rd District, which includes parts of Broward County and southern Palm Beach County.
Israel and AIPAC were not major points of contention between Frankel and Doyle, whose priorities focus on affordability, women’s rights and immigration reforms.
Governor race set between two pro-Israel candidates
Meanwhile, in the race for Florida Governor, Sunshine State voters will need to choose between two pro-Israel candidates in November’s general election to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis, after Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly won their respective primaries on Tuesday night.
Jolly had been a Republican Representative for Florida in the US House from 2014-2017, representing the South-Central coastal zone, but gradually abandoned the party for the Democrats as he distanced himself from Trump.
Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly (L) and GOP candidate Byron Donalds speak at their election night parties on August 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, AP Photo/John Raoux)
Byron Donalds has served as Florida’s Representative in Washington since 2019. He would be Florida’s first Black governor if elected, and earned the endorsement of President Trump after supporting the war against Iran.
He fended off several challengers, notably James Fishback, a virulently anti-Israel influencer who has verged on antisemitism in his rhetoric.
Fishback, whose campaign garnered national attention, only won 10.5% of the votes in the state’s primary, with Jay Collins, a wounded veteran and current Lt. Gov, taking 25.2% of the vote.
Fishback boasted a large online profile that includes interviews with Tucker Carlson and streamer Myron Gaines, who has performed the Nazi salute and promoted Holocaust denial, and has praised the followers of Holocaust denier and white nationalist Nick Fuentes. “I’m all in, I’m rooting for him,” Fuentes said on his show about Fishback.