Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

* Florida’s U.S. Senate has long been on the periphery of this year’s midterm elections, largely because the former battleground has become a reliably red state. That said, some Democratic officials held out hope that the contest would prove competitive anyway, in part because appointed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody has had such an unimpressive tenure, and in part because Democrats appeared to have a compelling contender of their own.

Much of the party had rallied behind retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a child immigrant from Soviet-controlled Ukraine who rose to become a U.S. Army officer and a key figure against Donald Trump in the president’s first impeachment. His impressive fundraising hauls further suggested he might actually have had a credible chance in the fall.

Primary voters had other ideas. Vindman lost this week’s primary to Angie Nixon, a state representative who has been involved with the Democratic Socialists of America and who raised less than $1 million to Vindman’s $16 million. In fact, the primary wasn’t especially close: With just about all the ballots tallied, Nixon prevailed by roughly 12 points.

Once the race was called, Vindman issued a statement that read in part, “I still believe in the American Dream, because I’ve lived it. It’s worth fighting for. Rep. Nixon ran a strong campaign. I will be standing by her side in the fight against Ashley Moody. I hope you’ll join me.”

* Speaking of Florida, Rep. Byron Donalds, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, won the Republicans’ gubernatorial nomination by a wide margin. He’ll face off against David Jolly, a former congressman and former Republican who became a Democrat last year.

* There was a political earthquake of sorts in Wyoming’s Republican primaries: 13 members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus lost to GOP primary rivals as part of an apparent backlash to the far-right faction.

* In Alaska’s closely watched Senate race, former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola and incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan advanced to the general election, which will be a top-four contest decided by ranked choice balloting. Though votes are still being tallied, retired schoolteacher Dan J. Sullivan appears to be running third in the contest. (With 80% of the vote counted, the incumbent GOP senator has roughly 43% of the vote, which will likely make Republicans even more nervous about this race.)

* It might be a while before we know who won this week’s congressional special election in California: In the race to replace disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell, two Democrats — state Sen. Aisha Wahab and Melissa Hernandez — are vying for the seat, and with roughly 62% of the ballots tallied, Wahab is up by two points.

The post Wednesday’s Campaign Round-Up, 8.19.26: Nixon surprises in Florida Senate primary appeared first on MS NOW.

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