Nixon’s The One — In Florida

Some interesting results in Tuesday’s Florida primaries, and while they may not turn into gains or losses for either party, there were surprises.

First, in the Democratic primary for the Senate, a big upset.  Alex Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who played a major role in Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, and who vastly outraised and outspent his opponent, was nonetheless defeated by state Rep. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist who was given little chance of winning.  No Florida Democrat has won a Senate race since Bill Nelson was re-elected in 2012.  Vindman had given Democrats some hope in his expected November matchup against GOP incumbent Ashley Moody, who was state attorney general when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to fill the Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio after he left to become Trump’s secretary of state.  She remains pretty much unknown politically, but this is still a Republican state.  And Nixon, a part of her party’s left wing, is given even less of a chance of winning in November.  (Vindman’s twin brother, Eugene, represents Virginia’s 7th congressional district in the House.)

In the race for governor, which will be open because DeSantis is term-limited, Republican voters picked Rep. Byron Donalds, who was endorsed by Trump and who if elected would become the state’s first black governor.  (Angie Nixon, running for the Senate, is also black.)  Democrats nominated David Jolly, a former GOP congressman who quit the party during Trump’s first term.

In the 7th Congressional District, Rep. Cory Mills was seeking re-election with Trump’s backing.  But he also was plagued by reports of at least two women who have filed assault charges against him.  Mills lost to Ryan Elijah, a popular TV news anchor who had been endorsed by several of Mills’ colleagues in the House.  The seat is likely to stay Republican.

Another GOP seat getting a new incumbent is the 19th, the one Donalds is giving up to run for governor.  A lot of famous names — at least to political junkies — ran in that one.  Remember Jim Oberweis?  He was the Republican nominee for the Senate against Illinois Democrat 2014, where he lost to Dick Durbin.  He also sought and lost the Senate nomination in Illinois in both 2002 and 2004, and for governor in 2006; he also ran for Congress, from Illinois, in 2008 and 2020.  Oberweis finished third in Tuesday’s Florida 19th primary.

Remember Madison Cawthorn?  He was a rising star in the GOP whose tenure as a North Carolina congressman ended in one term once he got himself caught up in a bunch of scandals; he finished fourth on Tuesday.  (For the record, Cawthorn lost his seat in 2022 to Chuck Edwards, a Republican who announced he wasn’t seeking re-election this year because he also found himself in a scandal over his mistreatment of women.)

Remember Chris Collins?  He was a New York congressman, the first to endorse Trump for president, who was arrested by the FBI in August 2018 and charged with insider trading.  In a matter of only a few weeks, Collins dropped out of the race and then changed his mind and, even more bizarre, was re-elected.  But he resigned his seat the following year and pleaded guilty to insider trading and lying to the FBI.  He began serving a prison sentence in October 2020 but was pardoned by Trump two months later.  He finished fifth on Tuesday.

The candidate endorsed by Trump in Tuesday’s primary was Catalina Lauf, a former administration official.  She also had previously run for Congress.  In Illinois.  On Tuesday, she finished second.

The winner, and likely next congressman, was Jim Schwartzel, a businessman.  He got 29% of the vote, compared to 22% for Lauf, 16% for Oberweis, 8.5% for Cawthorn, and 7% for Collins.

Oh, how could I forget?  Another candidate who ran in the primary was John Strand.  His claim to fame?  He served time in prison for taking part in the Jan. 6th insurrection at the Capitol before being pardoned by Trump.

One more congressional primary of note.  Debbie Wasserman Schultz, an 11-term Democratic incumbent, found her district obliterated by the Republican state legislature, probably with her as their target,  In finding a district she could run in and possibly win, she picked one, the 20th, that was majority African American.  Black leaders were infuriated.  But, several black Democrats also ran and refused to give way to allow one black candidate a better shot.  So they stayed in the race and split the black vote  Among the black candidates on the ballot was Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.  She succeeded the late Rep. Alcee Hastings in a January 2022 special election and served until April of 2026, following her indictment on money laundering charges; she resigned right before she was all but certain to be expelled.  On Tuesday she finished a poor 4th.  Wasserman Schultz is overwhelmingly favored to win re-election in November.

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