Anti-Israel Democrat wins upset in Florida Senate primary, in latest victory for DSA

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.

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.

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?"

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.

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.

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. Moskowitz won the primary with roughly 64% of votes over Larkin who had nearly 36%, with 85% of votes counted.

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.

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.