President Donald Trump rallied Republicans at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach on Friday, leading his party's closing effort in Central Florida ahead of Election Day on Tuesday. The visit came as both parties made a final push for U.S. Senate candidates and other offices, with Republican Sen. Ashley Moody facing a challenge from Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon.
Moody was appointed to the Senate last year after Trump selected then-Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state. Before her appointment, Florida voters elected her attorney general in 2018 and reelected her in 2022. Nixon has represented Jacksonville in the Florida House of Representatives since 2020 and registered as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America in June, though the group has not endorsed her.
Friday's event featured an extensive lineup of Florida Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, Attorney General James Uthmeier, gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, Rep. Randy Fine, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power. A line wound through the Ocean Center parking lot before the rally, with some attendees waiting since 8 a.m. Democrats held a counter-protest a few hours before doors opened, and hecklers interrupted Trump three times during his remarks.
Moody devoted most of her speech to attacking her opponent, calling Nixon "an actual communist" whose "crazy agenda .. sounds like an enemy's wish list, 'cause it is." She touched on her own record only briefly, citing the end of federal taxes on tips and overtime and her vote for Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year, along with Florida's legal challenges to federal lockdown guidance during the pandemic while she was attorney general. "Get your friends out to vote," Moody said. "This is no joke. This is the most important election in Florida's history."
Attendees framed the election as a fight over the country's direction. Nicole Rio, who came from Palm Coast with her husband to thank Trump for the tax changes, said: "It's no longer red or blue. This right now is common sense versus communism. We have no choice now. But we need the younger generation to come out." Colton Peacock, 16, who drove 15 minutes with his parents and is too young to vote, predicted Republicans "will win by a landslide," calling Florida "a solid red state." Blake Marnell, wearing a bespoke suit with a brick wall design in support of Trump's immigration policies, said he flew in from San Diego and is "traveling all across America to be at as many Trump rallies as I can, just to remind people to vote."
Democrats held their own events earlier in the week. At a "Boricuas for Nixon" rally in Kissimmee on Tuesday, Nixon appeared alongside Puerto Rican leaders and New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velázquez, as well as Orlando Rep. Maxwell Frost. She also campaigned with Sen. Bernie Sanders earlier this month as part of an effort to energize younger voters.
Republicans have seized on Nixon's Democratic Socialists of America ties, branding her a "radical" and a "communist." Ocasio-Cortez pushed back while introducing her, saying: "Good schools is not communism. Funded hospitals is not communism. And guaranteeing healthcare as a right to every American is not communism. It's common sense." Nixon leaned into the labels, asking the crowd, "If believing that no family should go bankrupt because somebody got sick is radical, then what should they call me?" The audience shouted back, "RADICAL!!!" Melissa Moore, a 37-year-old campaign volunteer, said she believes the youth outreach is working, adding of younger voters, "But we're back. We want change."
The dueling events reflect a difficult environment for Republicans nationwide. A Pew Research Center poll this month found Democrats 17 percentage points more likely to say they are "extremely motivated" to vote this year, and Trump's approval rating sits around 37% in recent polling. As national enthusiasm for Republicans slides, Trump has urged supporters to vote as if he were on the ballot, since midterm turnout typically lags presidential years. Florida backed Trump by a double-digit margin just two years ago, but Republicans now face tight or tied statewide races. Recent polls give Moody a slight edge of a few percentage points, though her own fundraising materials have referenced two surveys showing the candidates tied. Early voting runs through Sunday, and Election Day is Tuesday.
