Angie Nixon: People Power

Tim Miller (0:12)

Hello, and welcome to The Bulwark Daily. I'm your host, Tim Miller. We're in debate season.

And so at the end of today's interview, stick around because I want to talk about some highlights from the Susan Collins, Troy Jackson debate up there in Maine. But up first, she's the buzzy candidate of the moment. She's the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Florida. It's Angie Nixon. Hey, Angie, welcome to the show.

Angie Nixon (0:36)

Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

Tim Miller (0:40)

I'm excited to be here too, because my first question is, where did you come from exactly? You know, some of us who watch national politics, you are not really on my radar. Some of my Florida friends told me I was sleeping on you, but give us a little bit of the backstory. You kind of came up out of nowhere in the last few weeks of that primary and end up being the nominee, and now you're all over my social media feed. So what's your backstory?

Angie Nixon (1:02)

So yeah, so my backstory is I'm born and raised in Florida, Jacksonville, and this draw comes from my parents who were born in southern Georgia. But I also am a former union organizer. I'm a community organizer. I've been organizing all across the state for nearly two decades here.

I actually also ran the largest statewide alignment group that built power within black and brown and working families in those communities. And been a state lawmaker for the past six years, a former aide for a state representative. I've just been really embedded in Florida politics, in Florida movement work, and just the community overall.

Tim Miller (1:53)

And you got into that Senate race. I think a lot of folks thought, a friend of the program, Alex Vindman, had a lot of national attention. What was your rationale for jumping in the race, your theory of the case?

Angie Nixon (2:05)

Yeah, so I actually traveled across the state of Florida before I made the decision to jump in the race.

I asked people what I should do next. And I asked them, do they want me to stay in the state house seat? Did they want me to run for governor? Did they want me to run for senate? They want me to run for congressional seat? And so I traveled across the state. And I had really hard conversations with people. And what I learned was that Florida is just keep waiting for things to get better someday. And so they asked me, a lot of folks requested that I run for US Senate because they felt the need for us to send someone who is going to do more than send strongly worded emails to Washington DC.

And that is why I ran. That is why I made that decision. I believe that right now in this moment, we are boldly being attacked. And so this moment requires a bold, unapologetic fighter for hard working people and those who have retired, who is not going to sell out to special interest groups or, you know, big, big business. And who's really going to center people first.

Tim Miller (3:18)

I like that Florida message. It's not just working people, it's retirees too. We got to make sure the retirees are seen, you know?

Angie Nixon (3:25)

I got, listen, Tim, I was called out about continuing to say that, and they were like, uh-uh, no, what about retirees? And I said, you were exactly right.

Tim Miller (3:34)

The villages, you were getting some letters from the villages, weren't you?

Angie Nixon (3:38)

You know, just a little, just a little. But it's retirees everywhere.

Tim Miller (3:41)

Have you been up there, have you been up there?

Angie Nixon (3:43)

Oh my gosh, I've been to the villages quite a bit. They love me there. And that's because I'm speaking to, yeah, I'm speaking about not ending their social securities.

We want to make sure that the social security system remains solvent. And Ashley Moody and definitely Rick Scott, they want to cut it. I mean, Rick Scott was talking about people needing to go back to work and just absolutely absurd. And so they love me in the villages.

Tim Miller (4:14)

Well, there's one place where they don't love you. And that is in the vice president's residence. And our vice president was campaigning down there. I guess you've definitely got their attention if they're campaigning in Florida. Think a year ago, they would have assumed Florida was going to be an easy win for them.

But he was campaigning there and I want to play a little video of it.