The US Senate candidate lost Sarasota by one of the largest margins in the state. WSLR gauges local Democrats’ reactions.
By Noah Bookstein
Original Air Date: August 25, 2026
Host: Angie Nixon staged a big upset in the race for US Senate—but not in Sarasota, which was one of the major hubs of support for her primary opponent Alex Vindman. Our reporter Noah Bookstein talked to local Democrats.
Noah Bookstein: Last week, State Representative Angie Nixon pulled off an upset, beating Army veteran Alex Vindman for the Democratic Senate nomination, despite being out-raised roughly 16 to one. Dig into the county by county results, and one place stands out: Nixon lost Sarasota by one of the largest margins in the state, with Vindman carrying over 65% of the primary vote in the county.
Nixon visited Sarasota in June, including a stop at WSLR Studios. Sarasota Democrat and political consultant Lou Grossman voted for Vindman and says it came down to trust that he could win in November.
Lou Grossman
Lou Grossman: I thought Vindman was a strong candidate that could beat Moody. I know he’s an American hero. I thought he was the lead candidate. I liked him, and I supported him because I thought he could win and I thought he was a great candidate. I thought he had the visibility to do that.
It wasn’t that I voted against Angie. I didn’t know much about Angie, although I got to know her. I just thought Vindman was our lead candidate, and I was wrong.
Angie Nixon with Jackson Rothman and Ed James III at WSLR
NB: Louise Machinist, a Sarasota precinct captain and local Democratic activist, also voted for Vindman. She was impressed with his background, especially his actions during Donald Trump’s impeachment.
Louise Machinist: I watched the impeachment hearings, and he was a hero. He sacrificed himself not only as he already had as part of our military, but he knowingly sacrificed his career and put him and his family at great threat by being the whistleblower and testifying about the “perfect call” between Trump and Zelensky. The man was a hero.
NB: Machinist also says Sarasota is a wealthier, more moderate area than the larger places such as Jacksonville or Orlando that Nixon won and that the Democrats in Sarasota County are outnumbered.
Alex Vindman
LM: My calculus includes the fact that Sarasota is rather wealthy—not everybody, but it tends to be a wealthy community where even the liberals are pretty centrist liberals. It’s not a radical place. It’s not New York. It’s not the West Coast. Sarasota is Sarasota, and thinking about the need for crossover voters because we have only 25% of the registered voters in the county.
NB: Machinist picked the more moderate Democrat, thinking that Vindman might have a better chance to win in November by swaying undecided voters and moderate Republicans.
LM: I was thinking towards the general election in November that I thought that he would have wider appeal than would Angie Nixon. Of course, it’s very much very much age- and generation- related because I like Angie Nixon—I liked Bernie—but I voted for Hillary for part of the same reasons. I know progressives would say, “Well, you’re just being stupid and cynical. If we had these fantastic progressive candidates, everybody will vote for them.” But no, everybody won’t vote for them, in my opinion. In primaries, the most passionate voters come out and vote. You tend to get candidates who may be farther from the middle in both directions, depending on which party it is. That’s what the situation was here, I think.
NB: Another reason Nixon did not do as well in Sarasota could be that the voters most excited about her did not show up to Sarasota polls in large numbers.
Sarasota County Democratic Party Chair David Dean was at the watch party the night she won.
David Dean
David Dean: When they heard that Angie was the projected winner, the room just erupted in cheers. We saw some of our young Democrats literally crying. She has a massive appeal with younger voters, and that’s something we need because the turnout in the primaries was very weak for younger voters. It’s an issue, and you do expect a somewhat older population in Sarasota, but we hope we get more engagement amongst younger voters in November.
NB: Dean says Nixon’s overall strength is her organizing.
DD: People I talk to have said that’s due to her organization. She’s been doing this for a long time, and that organization shows that she can get votes and she can win. I think most Democrats are going to see that and support State Representative Nixon going forward.
Angie Nixon
NB: While Nixon won statewide, that enthusiasm did not translate into turnout in the primary for Sarasota County, a gap Machinist points to as well.
LM: People of color in Sarasota have a very low voting turnout rate, and that’s just a reality. A lot will depend on, “Will people who like what she stands for actually follow through and vote?”
NB: WSLR News asked both Machinist and Grossman if they are backing Nixon against Ashley Moody.
LM: Absolutely. All the way. I just hope that Moody and her campaign will focus on what she thinks, believes and will do on issues. Leave out the labels. Lose the labels. We don’t need to talk about democratic socialism because most voters don’t know anything about it, and they never will. They will just hear a buzzword scare tactic, which of course is being used by the Republicans. Let Angie just talk about her platform and forget the labels. I’m very enthusiastic about supporting her, no doubt about it.
NB: After speaking with Nixon on the phone, Grossman said he is fully behind her.
LG: I’m a Democrat, so I vote for Democrats. I will absolutely vote for Angie against Moody. She’s just a dynamo, and she works for the people. She says what’s on her mind. She’s got a lot of energy. She’s not corrupt like I believe Moody is. She’s open to listening to all parts of the Democratic Party and all parts of Florida.
NB: Ashley Moody was appointed to her Senate seat by Governor Ron DeSantis after Donald Trump tapped Marco Rubio to be Secretary of State. For Sarasota’s Vindman voters, Moody’s alignment with Trump and the prospect of gaining control of the Senate will likely matter more in November than whatever separated them from Nixon in August.
Reporting for WSLR News, Noah Bookstein.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm.