Retired Army Lt. Alex Vindman tightened his grip on the Democratic money lead during the second quarter, raising $8.5 million and pushing his total receipts above $16 million in Florida's U.S. Senate race. Vindman said Republicans woke up Friday morning with a bit of a panic, adding there is no denying the Florida Senate race is in play. He is challenging state Rep. Angie Nixon for the Democratic nomination in the August 18 primary.
Republican Sen. Ashley Moody reported raising another $3.6 million during the same period. Her campaign promoted polling showing her leading either Vindman or Nixon in a potential general-election matchup. Moody was appointed to the Senate after Marco Rubio resigned to become secretary of state, and the November special election will determine who serves the final two years of Rubio's term. Nixon learned she will stand trial the week of September 21 on misdemeanor charges stemming from her May sit-in outside Gov. Ron DeSantis' Capitol office. Capitol Police arrested Nixon after she refused an order to leave during a protest over Florida's newly approved congressional map. Nixon calls the prosecution political and has incorporated the case into her Senate campaign.