Florida voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to pick party nominees in a special primary election for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by former Sen. Marco Rubio’s appointment as secretary of state.

Republican Primary

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., was appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill Rubio’s seat until voters could elect a replacement during the midterm elections later this year. Moody is now seeking the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary for the chance to remain in the seat for the rest of Rubio’s term.

She will face three Republican challengers in her party’s primary on Tuesday. Two candidates are going head-to-head in the Democratic primary happening the same day.

Democratic Primary

Two Democratic candidates are fighting for their party’s nomination on Tuesday. A native of Jacksonville, Angie Nixon has been a member of the Florida House of Representatives since 2020. She will square off against Alex Vindman in the Democratic primary, a retired U.S. Army combat veteran of 21 years.

Vindman has significantly outraised Nixon, reporting $16.3 million in his latest FEC filings compared to Nixon’s $975,000.

The winner of each party’s primary will advance to Nov. 3’s general election. Senate Republicans are defending a tight 53-45 majority against Democrats, and the race for Florida’s Senate seat will play a role in determining which party takes control of the chamber after the midterms.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.