By Anthony Simms
Party Chair Nikki Fried says attacks against Nixon have no place in Florida politics and warns that silence in the face of racism is a “test of character.”
The Florida Democratic Party is forcefully defending state Rep. Angie Nixon after what party leaders described as racist attacks directed at her over the weekend, denouncing the rhetoric and challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody to publicly condemn it.
The episode has injected race into Florida’s already combative political environment and raised a familiar question about the treatment of Black women who seek and hold public office.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said the attacks against Nixon crossed a line that should transcend political affiliation.
“Over the weekend, we saw racist attacks against Angie Nixon that have no place in our politics or our party,” Fried said in a statement. “Let me be clear: Florida Democrats condemn racism and bigotry of any kind, from anyone, period.”
Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat, has built her political profile around issues affecting working families, including affordable housing, wages, health care and government accountability. She has also emerged as one of the more outspoken Democratic voices in the Legislature, frequently challenging Republican policies and leadership in a state where the GOP controls the governor’s office and both chambers of the Legislature.
Fried argued that the attacks against Nixon should not be viewed as an isolated political dispute. She said they reflect the hostility Black women can encounter when participating prominently in public life.
“Angie is a fighter who’s spent her career advocating for working families, for accountability, and for communities that are too often targeted or ignored,” Fried said. “What happened to her this weekend is part of a pattern: Black women in public life are disproportionately targeted with this kind of vitriol simply for showing up and doing the work.”
The party did not merely condemn the rhetoric. It sought to shift attention toward the issues likely to dominate political campaigns across Florida: the cost of housing, groceries and health care, along with broader concerns about affordability.
“There are people who would love nothing more than to keep Floridians angry at each other, fighting culture wars and distracted from the issues affecting their lives every day,” Fried said.
Florida Democrats are also putting pressure on Moody, calling on the Republican senator to denounce the attacks against Nixon and make clear that racist rhetoric has no legitimate place in Florida politics.
That challenge transforms the controversy from a defense of one Democratic politician into a broader test of political leadership.
“This is a test of character, not politics,” Fried said. “Voters will remember who spoke up, and they will remember who stayed silent.”
In an increasingly polarized Florida, political disagreements are inevitable. Racist attacks, however, occupy a different category. The Democratic Party’s message was unequivocal: Nixon’s politics can be debated, her record can be scrutinized and her positions can be challenged.
Her race should never be part of the attack.
