Florida Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon struggled to say whether she considers herself a capitalist or a socialist during a Friday interview, a moment that drew sharp criticism from the campaign of Republican Sen. Ashley Moody as the candidates entered the final week of Florida's Senate race.
Politico's Dasha Burns pressed Nixon about her membership in the Democratic Socialists of America, noting that she had previously described herself as a capitalist despite joining the socialist organization. When Burns asked how Nixon personally identified, the Jacksonville Democrat repeatedly expressed uncertainty. "I don't know. I don't know. Like, I don't know," Nixon said on "The Conversation." She then said she identifies "as Angie Nixon, as a Black woman who was a former single mom, who wants to make sure that no one has to struggle the way I struggled when I was a single mom."
Cameron Gambini, a spokesperson for Moody, responded in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Angie Nixon voluntarily signed up to be a member of the Democrat Socialists," he said. "Now, she's clearly regretting letting her true colors shine." He also pointed to a separate controversy over Nixon's recent comments about Cuba, calling her "a radical lunatic who will never step foot on the Senate floor."
The Cuba dispute began with an interview Monday with CBS News, in which Nixon was asked whether Cuba is a dictatorship. She said, "You know, that is what people have told me. I have never been to Cuba, and so I will have to take their word for it." Nixon later disputed CBS News' characterization of her answer, saying she believed Cubans who described their government as a dictatorship. CBS deleted its initial social media post and acknowledged that its description had inaccurately represented her response. Nixon called the network's framing "a serious failure of editorial reporting" in a post on X.
Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet also criticized Nixon's answer to Politico. In a statement to Fox News Digital, he suggested she was distancing herself from socialism because of its political implications in Florida, saying, "Some pollster or political consultant probably told her socialism doesn't sell in Florida." Kolvet's remarks reflect the Republican case that Nixon's ideological views are being softened for voters, though his comments are partisan criticism rather than established findings.
In the same Politico exchange, Burns first asked whether Nixon considered herself a capitalist or socialist. Nixon emphasized support for government assistance programs. "So, what I would say is, I live in a capitalistic society, and I just want to make sure that people have strong social programs and safety net programs because I've had to use them before," she said. She added that she did not "care about labels" and described herself as a "humanist" and a "lifelong Democrat." She said she and her husband are small business owners who would not "want to take over anyone's business."
Nixon said she joined the DSA because of local community work, recalling that members helped her nonprofit when "the government shutdown happened" and people lost SNAP benefits. Her uncertainty contrasted with an August appearance on NBC News' "Meet the Press," when host Kristen Welker pressed her on DSA membership. In that interview Nixon rejected the socialist label and said, "I'm a capitalist who believes that we need some strong regulation."
Nixon joined the DSA in June but has rejected several proposals in the organization's national political program, including abolishing the U.S. Senate, drafting a new Constitution and defunding the military. The DSA has advocated public ownership of major corporations and essential industries, although it did not nationally endorse Nixon's campaign.
Nixon is challenging Moody, whom Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed to the U.S. Senate after Marco Rubio became secretary of state. Fox News Digital reached out to Nixon, CBS and the DSA for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.