Florida Democrats' Senate nominee Nixon and party chair Fried clash in heated call over socialism

TALLAHASSEE, Aug. 22. Florida Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon and state party chair Nikki Fried had a heated phone call Friday, during which Nixon yelled "stop gaslighting me," according to three people familiar with the conversation. The dispute centers on Nixon's membership in the Democratic Socialists of America and her ties to the group as Democrats prepare to challenge Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in November.

Nixon won the Democratic primary earlier this week in an upset over Alex Vindman. On the call, Fried warned that Nixon's DSA affiliation could give Republicans an opening to attack her in a state that has trended sharply Republican. Two people who spoke with Nixon said both she and Fried yelled at each other over the course of the call. A person who spoke with Fried said the chair did not yell but was yelled at. The Florida Democratic Party disputed that Fried raised her voice.

Nixon pushed back on what she characterized as insufficient support from the state party. She told Fried, "You never gave a care about me from the beginning, and now you're telling me how to run my campaign?" according to one source.

Fried's concerns track broader anxiety within the Florida Democratic coalition. The party faces particular headwinds with two groups concentrated in South Florida: Hispanic voters with roots in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Colombia, many of whom fled leftist governments, and Jewish Democrats opposed to the DSA's stance on Israel and its protesting tactics.

Nixon has moved to put distance between herself and several DSA positions since winning the primary. She said she does not support abolishing all prisons, only for-profit ones, does not back defunding police or open borders, and disagrees with the national DSA's commemoration of Fidel Castro. Nixon told others she joined DSA for its grassroots organizing capacity during the primary because the Democratic establishment was not supporting her. She said she agreed with the group's positions on housing, public education, corporate power, and Medicare for All.

A Florida Democratic Party official said the state organization attempted multiple times to reach Nixon's team about the coordinated campaign, often without a returned call. Nixon's field team participated in a coordinated campaign call this week, the official said. Nixon's campaign declined to comment.

The ballot picture

Nixon shares the November ballot with David Jolly, the former Republican running as the Democratic nominee for governor. Jolly's camp has expressed concern about how Republicans will exploit the socialism issue now that he and Nixon share a ticket. His campaign has been calibrating its messaging to praise Nixon while noting areas of disagreement, socialism among them. Jolly faces Republican Byron Donalds, who is seeking to become the first Black governor in Florida history and has raised $100 million. Independent Desmond Meade, who led the successful campaign to restore voting rights to felons in Florida, is also in the race.