Florida’s primary night delivered comfortable victories for some political heavyweights and bruising defeats for others, with Rep. Byron Donalds securing the Republican gubernatorial nomination while several candidates with national profiles discovered that fame, endorsements and money could only carry them so far.
Donalds entered Tuesday as the favorite after securing an early endorsement from President Donald Trump, and the congressman delivered. With more than 95 percent of the vote reported, Donalds had 47.8 percent, comfortably ahead of Jay Collins at 25.2 percent. James Fishback trailed with 10.5 percent.
The Associated Press called the Republican nomination for Donalds shortly after polls closed in Florida’s Panhandle.
Democrat David Jolly also secured his party’s gubernatorial nomination, taking more than 61 percent against limited opposition.
But some of the night’s biggest stories came farther down the ballot.
Crystal Ball Senate rating change
FL-SEN moves from Likely R to Safe R after Angie Nixon upsets Alexander VIndman in the Dem primary.
— Kyle Kondik (@kkondik) August 19, 2026
In the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, Angie Nixon, identified in the supplied material as a Democratic Socialists of America candidate, pulled off a major upset against Alexander Vindman.
Vindman had entered the race with enormous financial advantages. According to figures reported by the New York Times and cited in the supplied material, he outraised Nixon by roughly 16-to-1 and spent approximately 36 times as much on advertising.
It wasn’t enough.
With 89 percent of the vote counted, Nixon led 55.8 percent to 44.2 percent, turning what had been expected to be a Vindman victory into a double-digit defeat.
Vindman became nationally known through his role in events surrounding Trump’s first impeachment. He later moved into Florida politics and centered significant attention on his opposition to Trump.
Trump wasted little time celebrating the result.
“SleazeBag Vindman loses tonight to a Radical Left Lunatic,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “How cool is that?”
Vindman subsequently endorsed Nixon despite having criticized socialism earlier in the day.
“I REJECT SOCIALISM:” Florida Democrat gubernatorial nominee David Jolly distances himself from the DSA member at the top of his ticket, Senate Democrat nominee Angie Nixon pic.twitter.com/kNognYxvSQ
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) August 19, 2026
The result immediately created complications for other Florida Democrats. Jolly publicly distanced himself from the DSA after Nixon’s victory.
“I reject the DSA, I reject socialism, I’m a capitalist,” Jolly said, while also praising Nixon’s abilities as a campaigner and messenger.
Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, meanwhile, cruised through her own primary with nearly 80 percent of the vote. Sabato’s Crystal Ball subsequently shifted its rating of the Florida Senate contest from “Likely Republican” to “Safe Republican” following Nixon’s victory.
Another notable defeat came in Florida’s 19th Congressional District, where Trump’s endorsement did not carry Catalina Lauf across the finish line.
Lauf, who previously ran for Congress in two Illinois districts, lost to Jim Schwartzel, a local conservative radio station owner backed by Republican Reps. Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise.
With 94 percent counted, Schwartzel had 29.2 percent to Lauf’s 21.9 percent in the crowded field.
The race included an unusual collection of candidates, among them former Rep. Madison Cawthorn, former New York Rep. Chris Collins and John Strand. Collins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and making false statements before receiving a pardon from Trump. Strand’s Jan. 6-related conviction was affected by the Supreme Court’s 2024 decision limiting the application of an obstruction statute.
Rep. Cory Mills also saw his congressional career dealt a major blow.
Dem Senate candidate @AVindman says that while the Democratic Party is a big tent party, “if you’re someone that embraces Fidel Castro, communism, socialism — you’ve got no business being here in Florida.”
Vindman’s comments come hours before FL primary polls close at 7pm ET. pic.twitter.com/zWG16xkMA5
— Matt Donnell (@matthewjdonnell) August 18, 2026
Local television news anchor Ryan Elijah defeated Mills in the Republican primary, taking approximately 47 percent compared with Mills’ 34.3 percent with 93 percent reported.
Mills entered the election facing an ethics investigation and a series of allegations concerning his personal and business affairs. His defeat means he will not appear on the November ballot, potentially removing an election-related timing issue for any further House Ethics Committee action.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Jared Moskowitz defeated Oliver Larkin, another DSA-aligned candidate, by a substantial margin. Moskowitz had approximately 63 percent to Larkin’s 37 percent with 91 percent reported.
Moskowitz now moves into a difficult general-election contest in a redrawn district that Trump carried by nine points in 2024. Republican Scott Singer emerged from a crowded GOP primary with more than 31 percent and will face Moskowitz in November.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz survived another potentially difficult Democratic primary, winning the nomination in Florida’s newly configured 20th District.
The majority-Black district attracted several Black candidates, including rapper Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell and former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. The divided field helped Wasserman Schultz retain the nomination despite opposition from some Black political figures who wanted the new district represented by a Black lawmaker.
Elsewhere, Trump-endorsed Sydney Gruters won the Republican nomination in Florida’s 16th District, while Rep. Randy Fine defeated internet personality Dan Bilzerian.
Outside Florida, the night’s results offered additional developments.
In Wyoming, Rep. Harriet Hageman won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Trump endorsed Hageman shortly after Sen. Cynthia Lummis announced that she would not seek another term. With 20 percent counted when the race was called, Hageman held 61.5 percent.
Alaska presented a more complicated picture.
Who would’ve ever thought that a Jewish refugee would make it to the U.S. Army, to the White House, and to becoming a candidate for the U.S. Senate. Only in America is that possible, and it would not have been possible without you, Florida.
I still believe in the American Dream,…
— Alex Vindman 🇺🇸 (@AVindman) August 19, 2026
Under the state’s top-four primary system, Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola led incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan 48 percent to 42.8 percent with roughly 80 percent counted. Another candidate also named Dan Sullivan received 2.4 percent. The second Sullivan is not related to the senator.
The top four candidates advance to November, where Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system will determine the winner. The primary numbers therefore establish who advances rather than directly determining how later preference transfers will break in the general election.
Peltola’s campaign had undergone a late staff shakeup, including a change in responsibilities for her campaign manager, adding another element of uncertainty heading into Tuesday.
California voters, meanwhile, were choosing who would complete the remainder of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s congressional term.
Taken together, the results contained a recurring warning for candidates who entered Tuesday relying heavily on national political profiles.
Trump’s endorsement worked decisively for Donalds and Hageman and helped Gruters, but it wasn’t enough to rescue Lauf from a local opponent in Florida’s 19th. Vindman’s national profile and overwhelming financial advantage couldn’t prevent Nixon from defeating him. And Mills’ incumbency couldn’t overcome Elijah’s challenge.
