Florida U.S. Senate Voter Guide: Moody, Nixon and Gillespie on Taxes and Immigration
Three candidates are on the ballot in Florida's special election for U.S. Senate on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026: Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon and Neil J. Gillespie, who has no party affiliation, according to the Florida Division of Elections.
The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares the three on taxes and immigration. Here is where each one stands, based on the video, the candidates' own words and Florida reporting.
This is a special election because the seat changed hands mid-term. Marco Rubio left the Senate in January 2025 to become secretary of state, and Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Moody to the seat; she was sworn in on Jan. 21, 2025, according to her Senate biography. The Nov. 3 special election decides who serves the rest of the term Rubio won in 2022. Moody won the Republican primary, and Nixon won the Democratic primary over retired Lt. Col. Alex Vindman on Aug. 18, NBC News reported.
Ashley Moody (Republican)
Moody, a fifth-generation Floridian from Plant City, was Florida's attorney general from 2019 to 2025. Before that she was a federal prosecutor and, in 2006, was elected a circuit judge in Hillsborough County, according to her Senate biography. She is a three-time graduate of the University of Florida.
On taxes, the video says Moody voted for temporary tax deductions for tips, overtime and seniors. That checks out: Moody voted yes when the Senate passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act 51-50 on July 1, 2025, according to the Senate roll call. PolitiFact reported that the law extended the 2017 tax cuts and added temporary tax breaks for tipped and overtime income, plus an extra $6,000 deduction for some Americans 65 and older through 2028. In a campaign ad, Moody says, "I voted to stop taxing tips and Social Security." PolitiFact noted the law reduced taxes on tips and for seniors but did not end them. Moody has said, "I fought for NO TAX ON TIPS. Florida's workers should be able to keep more of what they earn," according to the News Collaborative of Central Florida's voter guide.
On immigration, the video says Moody will work with President Trump to reverse "Biden-era immigration failures." Her own words, as quoted by the News Collaborative of Central Florida and WKMG: "As a United States Senator, I will continue to work with President Trump to not only reverse the failures of the Biden administration but ensure that it can never happen again." Her Senate biography says she is focused on "securing the border." As attorney general, Moody sued the Biden administration in 2021 over its policy of releasing migrants from detention after they crossed the southwest border, the News Service of Florida reported.
Angie Nixon (Democrat)
Nixon, who was born and raised in Jacksonville, was first elected to the Florida House in 2020 and now represents District 13 in Jacksonville, according to the Florida House. Her campaign describes her as a union organizer and former executive director of Florida for All, a statewide voter registration coalition, and says she runs a bookstore and community hub in Jacksonville. She is a University of Florida graduate in political science.
On taxes, the video says Nixon wants a 5% yearly tax on net worth above $1 billion. That checks out: her campaign website calls for "a 5% annual wealth tax on billionaires" through Sen. Bernie Sanders' Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act, which it says would apply only to net worth above $1 billion. Her website also calls for taxing capital gains at the same rate as wages and closing corporate loopholes, and says the revenue would help pay for Medicare for All and direct payments to households earning under $150,000. Her campaign told PolitiFact she supports eliminating federal taxes on tips and Social Security and wants to repeal only the parts of the 2025 tax law that benefit the wealthy and corporations.
On immigration, the video says Nixon calls the administration's enforcement "inhumane and illegal." Asked by the News Collaborative of Central Florida whether she agrees with current enforcement, she said, "I do not agree with the way that this administration has gone about immigration enforcement. Many of the policies have been inhumane, illegal and downright un-American." Her campaign website calls for a path to citizenship for Dreamers and undocumented residents, a moratorium on deportations pending an audit of enforcement practices, and abolishing ICE and rebuilding immigration enforcement "under new, accountable civilian oversight."
Neil Gillespie (No Party Affiliation)
Gillespie lives in Ocala. He moved to Florida from Pennsylvania in 1993, where he was a licensed motor vehicle dealer, and is the founder and director of Justice Network, an advocacy group focused on legal and government issues, according to his campaign website. He holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School evening division and The Evergreen State College. He says he runs without a party because George Washington "warned us about political parties in his Farewell Address."
On taxes, the video found no position for Gillespie, and his campaign website does not list a position on taxes. His stated top priorities are restoring checks and balances and the separation of powers, health care reform with national coverage that people could opt out of, and First Amendment protections, according to his responses to the League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County and the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, which he posted on his website.
On immigration, the video says Gillespie supports secure borders, vetting of immigrants and lawful removals. That matches his own words. "Immigrants are essential for the U.S. economy. We need qualified, vetted, immigrants legally present in America," he wrote in his League of Women Voters responses. He said the Biden administration's "de facto open border policy" was wrong and added, "I support the lawful removal of people who enter the United States illegally, but not the spectacle created by activists confronting ICE. I also support a path to citizenship for immigrants who follow the rules."
Where to Follow the Candidates
Ashley Moody: @AshleyMoodyFL on X. Angie Nixon: @AngieNixon on X and @angieforfl on TikTok. Neil Gillespie: @Justice_Network on X and @neil4usenate on TikTok.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: Florida Division of Elections, 2026 General Election candidate list: https://dos.elections.myflorida.com/candidates/canlist.asp?elecid=20261103-GEN&OfficeGroup=FED ; Sen. Ashley Moody, official biography: https://www.moody.senate.gov/about/ ; Wikipedia, One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Senate roll call vote, July 1, 2025): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Big_Beautiful_Bill_Act ; PolitiFact, "Moody's FL diner ad mischaracterizes Nixon's position on OBBBA as support for $4 trillion tax hike" (Oct. 20, 2026): https://politifact.com/factchecks/2026/oct/20/ashley-moody/moodys-fl-diner-ad-mischaracterizes-nixons-position-on-obbba-as-support-for-4-trillion-tax-hike/ ; News Collaborative of Central Florida via Osceola News-Gazette, "Voting Central Florida: Meet the general election candidates for U.S. Senate": https://www.aroundosceola.com/election-2026/voting-central-florida-meet-general-election-candidates-us-senate ; WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando, "2026 Voter's Guide - Florida's US Senate race" (Oct. 16, 2026): https://www.clickorlando.com/voters-guide/2026/10/16/2026-voters-guide-floridas-us-senate-race/ ; News Service of Florida via WUSF, "Four years after a Biden-era immigration lawsuit was filed, the fight is over" (Sept. 2, 2025): https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2025-09-02/four-years-after-a-biden-era-immigration-lawsuit-was-filed-the-fight-is-over ; NBC News, Nixon wins Florida Senate primary (Aug. 18, 2026): https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/angie-nixon-winner-florida-senate-primary-democrat-alex-vindman-moody-rcna593255 ; Florida House, Rep. Angie Nixon: https://www.flhouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4766 ; Angie Nixon campaign, Meet Angie: https://angienixon.com/meet-angie/ ; Angie Nixon campaign, Priorities: https://angienixon.com/priorities/ ; Neil J. Gillespie for U.S. Senate, League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County responses: https://neilgillespie4senate.blogspot.com/2026/10/ ; Neil J. Gillespie for U.S. Senate, Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce responses: https://neilgillespie4senate.blogspot.com/2026/10/neil-j-gillespie-candidate-survey.html ; Ashley Moody campaign: https://ashleymoody.com/
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