Florida’s Democratic Senate primary is already consolidating around Alex Vindman
The Democratic primary pool for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat is already shrinking after former Brevard County School Board Member Jennifer Jenkins dropped out of the race Thursday and endorsed Alexander Vindman, an Army veteran and whistleblower in Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial.
His entrance this week raised the level of national attention on a race that is a steep uphill battle for Democrats. Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody has been endorsed by Trump and doesn’t have a major challenger on the GOP side.
“This campaign has never been about me, it has always been about Floridians and making sure that our families have a representative that fights for us,” Jenkins said in an announcement on social media. “This is a moment for us to unite and to focus on what’s right and to do what it will take to defeat Ashley Moody.”
The move comes just two days after Vindman launched his bid for the seat and raised $1.7 million from more than 36,000 contributions within 24 hours, according to his campaign. His brother is a sitting congressman for Virginia was a prolific fundraiser in his 2024 race.
Vindman gained a national profile in 2019 after testifying against Donald Trump in the U.S. House’s first impeachment hearings against the president. Trump later fired him from his role at the National Security Council.
National Democratic fundraising committees haven’t seriously invested in Florida races in recent years, but Democrats have a difficult path to retaking the Senate this year that could lead to more attention on Florida. Democrats need to flip four Republican-held seats and keep all of their current seats to retake control of the chamber.
In a statement, Vindman praised Jenkins’ decision. “This decision reflects her commitment to our shared mission to get rid of corruption in our politics and to make life more affordable for Floridians,” Vindman said.
Two other Democrats —Jacksonville representative Angie Nixon and former Google philanthropy head Hector Mujica — have not indicated plans to back down from the Democratic primary.
“I look forward to earning your vote because that’s what democracy is all about,” Nixon said in a statement earlier this week, after Vindman’s campaign launch.
Mujica praised Jenkins’ campaign in a statement Thursday. “No one runs for office lightly. Our broken campaign finance laws make it even harder by demanding huge amounts of time, energy, and money, and by shutting out too many everyday people who would serve with integrity. Jennifer stepped up anyway.”
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