UPDATE 5:37 P.M.:
Republican Ashley Moody has won reelection to the U.S. Senate, the Associated Press projects
ORIGINAL STORY AS FOLLOWS:
As the polls closed across much of Florida on Election Day, voters are watching the race between Republican Ashley Moody and Democrat Angie Nixon as they vie to serve the state in the U.S. Senate.
Moody is Florida's junior U.S. senator, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January 2025 to fill the seat vacated by Marco Rubio, who became U.S. secretary of state.
A fifth-generation Floridian, she was born and raised in Plant City and earned bachelor's, master's and law degrees from the University of Florida, as well as a Master of Laws from Stetson University.
She previously served as Florida's attorney general from 2019 to 2025 and as a Hillsborough County circuit court judge. Before becoming a judge, she worked as a federal prosecutor handling drug, firearms and fraud cases.
Nixon, a Democratic state representative from Jacksonville, was first elected to the Florida House in 2020. Before this, she worked as a union organizer and served as executive director of Florida for All, a statewide coalition focused on voter registration and community organizing.
The mother of two also operates a bookstore and community hub in Jacksonville. A University of Florida graduate, Nixon has focused on issues including affordable child care, consumer protections, education and voting rights.
Check back here with Patch for local results as they're reported throughout the night.
Most Florida polling places were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST on Election Day, while some counties in the Panhandle are open until 8 p.m. EST because they're in the Central Time Zone. Expect results to start being released at 8 p.m.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Across Florida Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.