Angie Nixon, Democratic socialist, wins Florida Senate primary in major upset

Progressive state representative Angie Nixon has won Florida's Democratic US Senate primary, defeating former army intelligence officer Alexander Vindman despite a major fundraising disadvantage.

According to the Associated Press, Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, secured 56.1 percent of the vote compared with Vindman's 43.9 percent.

The result was an upset after Vindman entered the race with significantly more campaign funding.

Florida Politics reported that he had raised $16.3 million by the end of July, compared with Nixon's $975,000.

Nixon will now face Republican Senator Ashley Moody in November's general election. Moody was appointed to replace Marco Rubio after he became secretary of state and is seeking to serve the remainder of his Senate term.

“Floridians don’t want the establishment in Washington DC deciding who their Democratic nominee and US senator is going to be,” Nixon previously told the Tampa Bay Times.

Vindman, who served on the National Security Council during Donald Trump's first term, became nationally known for his role in Trump's first impeachment.

After the result, Vindman said Nixon “ran a strong campaign” and pledged to support her against Moody.

“We did it ya’ll. Thank you to every person that put their heart into this campaign,” Nixon posted on Tuesday night.