Every Republican State Attorney in Florida is backing U.S. Sen Ashley Moody’s campaign to remain in the Senate past 2026.

The Plant City Republican’s campaign announced the endorsement of 15 of Florida’s elected prosecutors. That includes State Attorneys Tom Bakkedahl; Bruce Bartlett; Larry Basford; Ed Brodsky; John Durrett; Amira Fox; Bill Gladson; Brian Haas; Brian Kramer; R.J. Larizza; Suzy Lopez; Ginger Bowden Madden; Melissa Nelson; William Scheiner; and Dennis Ward.

“Florida’s State Attorneys are stewards of the rule of law and work each and every day to keep our communities safe,” Moody said. “I am honored to have the endorsement of every single Republican ‘Top Cop’ in Florida and look forward to continuing the work we have done together while I was Attorney General. Together, we will fight for a stronger, safer Florida.”

Moody served more than six years as Florida Attorney General, working closely with prosecutors around the state. She also served as an elected Judge and a federal prosecutor before holding statewide office.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Moody to the U.S. Senate earlier this year to fill a seat left vacant after former U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio was appointed as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of State. But Moody must stand for election in 2026 to determine who serves the final two years of Rubio’s term.

The prosecutors who worked with Moody say they want her to stay on the job.

“Ashley is a strong and conservative leader,” said Fox, a Fort Myers Republican and State Attorney for the 20th Judicial Circuit. “In her previous role as Attorney General for Florida, she fought hard for law and order and was a tremendous partner for State Attorneys and law enforcement. We could not ask for a better person to continue to lead and represent us in the U.S. Senate.”

The endorsements come as Moody prepares for potential challenges on the left and right.

“I trust her to serve with integrity as she makes difficult decisions, not only on behalf of the greatest state in the union, but also the greatest nation in the world,” said Durrett, a Lake City Republican and State Attorney for Florida’s 3rd Judicial Circuit.

Florida has 20 judicial circuits, the vast majority of which elected Republican State Attorneys.

“As Florida’s Attorney General, Ashley Moody fought for and ensured the strength and integrity of all Floridians,” said Brodsky, a Sarasota Republican and State Attorney for Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit. “As our U.S. Senator, Ashley Moody will make America First and fight for and defend America’s interests and the American people.”

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Days after Democrats invited U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna to a town hall in her district, billboards call out Congresswoman as a no-show.

National Democrats purchased billboards that go up this week in Florida’s 13th Congressional District that criticize the St. Petersburg Republican for failing to meet with constituents. The message “Rep. Luna = Coward” appears in large red type alongside a photo of the second-term Representative.

The phone number for Luna’s Washington office also appears on the sign, along with the words “won’t talk to her constituents” with a red arrow pointing at her face.

“Rep. Anna Paulina Luna refuses to meet with her constituents after voting to take away health care and make it harder for families to put food on the table,” said Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin.

“This isn’t surprising — over the last few months, one word has come to describe Republicans: cowards. If Republicans won’t show up, then Democrats will. We are hosting events in Republican-held districts and we are pasting Republican representatives’ phone numbers on billboards across their district because working families deserve to be heard.”

Democrats have targeted incumbent Republicans in battleground districts ever since POLITICO reported leadership in the House was advising against members hosting town halls amid an “angry backlash” at President Donald Trump.

This weekend, Democrats held a town hall in Clearwater and kept a seat open for Luna while making clear the event was open to constituents from across the political spectrum. Whitney Fox, Luna’s Democratic opponent last year, attended the event, as did Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.

The state party also held events in several other districts represented by Republicans, but the national party investment in billboards is focused on CD 13, a clear sign Democrats intend once again to invest in beating Luna this cycle. House Majority PAC, the super PAC dedicated to expanding the Democratic caucus in the House, already listed CD 13 as a targeted district, the only one in Florida.

The billboards criticizing Luna are paid for by the DNC, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Association of State Democratic Committees, the organization behind the national series of town hall events.

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Despite loud opposition from Democrats and activists, a Senate panel passed Sen. Nick DiCeglie’s bill Tuesday. It’s the latest attempt to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in state agencies. The bill could affect admission processes at Florida’s universities, although the senator said he expects to amend it as it moves through the committee process.

“This bill clearly lays out that a state agency — we just do not want them to utilize DEI,” the Indian Rocks Beach Republican said before the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee voted 6-2 to advance SB 1710. “In practice, DEI often leads to discrimination, favoring some groups over others under the guise of equity. This isn’t fairness. It’s favoritism dressed up as progress.”

Currently, SB 1710 includes several provisions, including requiring state contractors or grantees to certify to the Chief Financial Officer that they are not using state funds on DEI initiatives. The bill would also ban state agencies from spending money on a DEI office or DEI chief, although a staff analysis said it’s unclear how many state employees work in DEI at Florida’s public agencies.

Other proposed changes include adding new requirements for state agencies applying for federal health care grants regarding DEI. The state agencies would be required to post the grant information online and give the Senate Health Policy Committee and House Human Services Committee copies of the grant proposals.

“It’s in the interest of the state to have that transparency when it comes to the state agencies. We want to hold them accountable,” DiCeglie said.

DiCeglie’s bill, as written now, also targets higher education.

Any “medical institution of higher education” would be required to use a “standardized admissions test focused on knowledge of and critical thinking skills for science and medical training.” It doesn’t say which tests would be required.

It was the bill’s first Committee stop. DiCeglie warned that his bill would likely change significantly, and he is considering amending the higher education section to remove it from his bill.

“We have two different subjects in this bill, and I’m going to have to make a decision after this Committee stop which subject I’m going to want to focus on here because it can’t be both,” he said.

Throughout the nearly two-hour debate Tuesday afternoon, Sen. Tina Polsky pushed back and raised concerns about what DiCeglie’s bill could impact.

Would health agencies still be able to work on issues affecting specific groups of people — like for research on sickle cell disease, maternal health or AIDS?

“Some groups are marginalized in health care,” the Democrat said. “Is that allowed under the bill? Because it sounds like it would not be recognized.”

DiCeglie answered, “’ I’m going to simply read the bill, because it’s very clear in what it says. It says: ‘Any effort to promote as the official position of a state agency a particular opinion referencing unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation … anti-racism, systemic oppression, social justice … You talk about sickle cell, I’m not sure that falls into any of these categories.”

She asked if the Attorney General’s Office could recruit from FAMU’s law school since it was a historically Black university.

“I don’t see why they wouldn’t be able to do that,” DiCeglie said.

Polsky questioned how state agencies are using DEI, which concerns DiCeglie.

“I don’t have a specific example. I don’t need a specific example,” DiCeglie said. “What I do know is … these DEI programs, over time, have just been proven to be ineffective.”

The outnumbered Democrats also voiced frustrations the bill would also allow the state to have a say in private companies’ DEI policies and training if they want to do business with the state.

“This is an extreme overreach into private business,” said Sen. Kristen Arrington. “Businesses, including nonprofits and those with a minority client base, should be free in free Florida to set their own supportive workplace culture without forfeiting government grants or contracts.”

As the meeting drew to a close, Sen. Randy Fine, a congressional candidate, said, “One of the things I’m not going to miss about this process is hours of debate and public testimony and questions about bills that really aren’t before us. The bill is not that complicated. It doesn’t say that we don’t celebrate diversity. It doesn’t say that we can’t do things that are historically Black colleges.”

The bill’s next stops are the Education Postsecondary or the Appropriations Committee.

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