Florida Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon is facing new scrutiny after an NBC News interview in which she defended her political affiliations and made a demonstrably inaccurate claim about President Donald Trump.
The state representative is challenging Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in November, but questions about Nixon’s ties to the Democratic Socialists of America are already becoming a major issue in the general election campaign.
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During an appearance on Meet the Press Now with Kristen Welker, Nixon attempted to distance herself from some positions associated with the Democratic Socialists of America while insisting that Florida should not be considered a reliably Republican state.
Nixon argued that Florida “wasn’t red” but instead had not been sufficiently “invested in” by Democrats.
The assertion comes after Republicans have posted increasingly large statewide victories in Florida, including Trump’s roughly 13-point victory in the state during the 2024 presidential election.
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Nixon also pushed back against describing herself as a socialist despite her membership in the DSA, explaining that she joined the organization because she agreed with some of its positions.
Her relationship with the organization has reportedly become a source of tension within the Florida Democratic Party as Democrats prepare for a difficult statewide Senate contest.
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Nixon and Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried reportedly had a heated conversation in which Fried encouraged the Senate nominee to distance herself from the DSA, according to previous reporting.
Nixon reportedly objected to Fried attempting to dictate how she should conduct her campaign.
Welker pressed Nixon during the interview about several positions associated with the DSA, including the organization’s support for drafting a new Constitution.
Nixon said she did not support that proposal and instead argued that the existing Constitution should be fully enforced.
“We need to make sure that we are enforcing the Constitution and enforcing our laws, and not allowing someone like Donald Trump – who happens to be a 34 count adjudicated rapist – to actually circumvent those things,” Nixon said.
That characterization of Trump was false and appeared to conflate two entirely separate legal matters involving the president.
Trump was convicted in 2024 on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the New York criminal case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Those 34 counts had nothing to do with rape or sexual assault.
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Separately, a federal civil jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, but that proceeding did not involve 34 counts and was not a criminal conviction for rape.
The terminology surrounding the Carroll case has previously resulted in a high-profile legal dispute involving ABC News.
Trump sued ABC News and George Stephanopoulos after the anchor repeatedly stated during a 2024 interview that Trump had been found “liable for rape.”
ABC ultimately agreed to settle the lawsuit in December 2024, with the network agreeing to contribute $15 million toward Trump’s future presidential foundation and museum and pay $1 million in legal fees.
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Welker did not immediately challenge Nixon’s “34 count adjudicated rapist” statement during the interview and instead continued questioning her about her political positions.
The interview also grew tense when Welker asked whether Nixon’s DSA membership risked becoming a distraction from the candidate’s own policy agenda.
Nixon rejected that premise and suggested the media was responsible for creating the distraction by repeatedly questioning her about the organization.
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Despite being a member of the DSA and running on a socialist platform, far-Left Florida Democrat Angie Nixon pretends she is not a socialist:
“I am not a socialist, I joined the DSA because I believe in them…the Democratic Party is a big tent…it’s a ‘everybody’ party.” pic.twitter.com/LzVFwvkN6V
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 20, 2026
Moody enters the general election with significant structural advantages in a state that has shifted sharply toward Republicans during recent election cycles.
Florida Republicans now hold a substantial voter-registration advantage, while Democrats have not won a statewide election for governor or U.S. Senate in years.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
