Following her appointment to the Senate by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Sen. Ashley Moody is seeking a full term as she faces Democratic challenger Angie Nixon.

Moody, a Republican who has closely aligned herself with President Donald Trump, is campaigning on an “America First” agenda focused on immigration and border security, crime and law enforcement, and the economy.

Florida has been a Republican stronghold in recent elections, which could benefit Moody as she seeks to keep her seat. Her path to another term will ultimately depend on how voters view the issues she has made central to her campaign, and whether her record in the Senate warrants another term.

For Sean Hartman, a member of the Gulf Coast Young Republicans, Moody’s position on immigration aligns with his belief in the need for stricter enforcement of existing laws.

“We really need to be focused on the people who commit violent crimes who are here illegally,” Hartman said. “That really needs to be the priority and getting them out of the country.”

Moody has made immigration and border security a focus of her agenda, introducing legislation that would expand expedited removal for certain immigrants convicted of crimes. In a post on Moody’s website, she described the effort as putting “common sense immigration policies first.” The legislation aligns with Trump’s immigration priorities and, according to Moody, would help reverse what she called as the “disastrous border policies” of the Biden administration.

Alex Cecil, a senior philosophy major at Florida Gulf Coast University, believes Moody’s position on immigration goes too far.

“I don’t believe that any country should have closed borders at all,” Cecil said. “Along with that, I think that separating people based on where they’re born is pretty nonsensical and messed up.”

Cecil said he believes people should have greater freedom to move between countries and disagrees with the strict immigration policies that Moody is championing.

Peter Bergerson, political science professor at FGCU, said the issues Moody is emphasizing are largely aimed at appealing to and maintaining support among Republican voters. Rather than relying on winning over voters that were previously against her, Bergerson said that party affiliation is likely to play a larger role in the election.

“Part of her campaign strategy and the issues that she’s focusing on are directed towards the Republican base,” Bergerson said. “The primary issue for her is reassuring those voters that she’s on their side, and she’s on the president’s side.”

With Moody’s background as Florida’s former attorney general, crime and law enforcement are another major part of her campaign. Moody has continuously emphasized tougher penalties and capital punishment expansions for severe violent crimes as a part of her being a “law-and-order” candidate.

A post from the attorney general’s website has some of Moody’s comments about her harsher punishment policies.

“We cannot let soft-on-crime policies affect the safety of our citizens,” Moody said.

Emily Meacham, 34, a waitress in Fort Myers, said she supports harsher penalties in certain situations, particularly violent crimes. Her daughter’s safety is a huge priority and makes Moody’s stance on crime appealing to her.

“Higher crimes like molestation, manslaughter and murder, absolutely,” Meacham said. “I have a daughter, and of course I want to make sure my child is safe.”

Moody’s focus on public safety carries weight for Meacham. As a mother, she wants to know that her child can grow up in a safe community and believes serious crimes should be met with tougher punishment. However, Meacham believes softer crimes, like drug-related offenses, should not be punished at the same level as more serious crimes. For those offenses, she said she would rather see people receive treatment and help than face harsher punishment.

While Meacham supports tougher punishment for serious crimes, Cecil takes a different position against harsher sentencing, arguing that longer and harsher punishments are not always the best solution to crime.

“I’m pretty much of the belief that the maximum prison sentence should be 10 years, completely across the map,” Cecil said. “I just think it’s just another ploy to get people to be in the prison system longer.”

Hartman, however, supports Moody’s focus on tougher punishments, particularly when it involves serious, violent crimes.

“For the most part, our ICE officers are out there trying to get people who genuinely harm people,” Hartman said. “People who’ve sexually assaulted children, people who’ve murdered people.”

Hartman said these are the types of people Moody is focused on removing from the country, an approach he said aligns with Republican priorities.

While crime and public safety have defined Moody’s campaign, the economy is also a key issue, especially as voters continue to deal with the constantly rising cost of living. Moody has already shown support for lowering the cost of living by supporting the ‘No Tax on Tips,’

"No Tax on Overtime" and 'No Tax on Social Security' policies. She explains that though there have been some improvements, there is still a lot more work she will continue to do.

Moody’s campaign website has her comments on the issue of rising living costs.

“I am committed to fighting for policies that cut burdensome regulations, lower costs, and make homeownership achievable for every Florida family,” Moody said.

Meacham appreciates Moody’s promotion and support of the Working Families Tax Cuts law, which is the largest tax cut in U.S. history.

“Tax breaks are great for the middle and working class,” Meacham said.

According to an post on Moody’s website, 97% of Americans received a tax cut in this past filing season. Floridians brought home the largest federal tax refunds in the country, averaging $4,500 compared to the national average of $3,300. Moody has directly helped make this possible for families in Florida.

Cecil, however, said he does not think lowering taxes would make much of a difference for most people. He also questioned whether cutting wages, which he sees as one way to address broader economic problems, would benefit workers.

“Increasing or decreasing the taxes doesn't really help us all that much, except for, I guess it's going to be hard to get Social Security,” Cecil said. “The only way you can do that is through cutting everyone's wages. That doesn't sound great, especially, the wage labor relationship is already the reason that the world sucks.”

While voters may disagree on Moody’s positions on specific policies, Bergerson said the political landscape of Florida can work in her favor.

“The nature of elections in Florida has changed really dramatically in the last 15 years. Florida used to be a competitive two-party state and is no longer that. It’s really a Republican state,” Bergerson said.
He explained that Moody’s campaign has been relatively low-key thus far but believes voters will see more of her activity within the next month or two, as we inch closer to election day. Even if that does happen, she will still have to depend on whether voters will continue to support her or decide to move in a different direction. For voters like Cecil, her positions have become a source of frustration and anger.
“I think that she should stop being such a mouth-foaming reactionary,” Cecil said.

Ultimately, the November election will determine whether Moody’s approach resonates with enough Florida voters to earn her a full term in the Senate.

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