Angie Nixon says she’s accepted 2 Democratic Senate debates. Will Alex Vindman do the same?

Senate candidate Angie Nixon is counting on televised debates to help her make her case to Democratic voters ahead of the Aug. 18 Primary.

“Floridians deserve to hear directly from the candidates, compare our visions, and make an informed choice about our state’s future. I look forward to these debates!” Nixon said.

Nixon, a third-term state legislator from Jacksonville, has agreed to make her case on her hometown station WJXT, and on WESH, which serves east-central Florida.

“I’m looking forward to sharing my vision for lowering costs, expanding opportunity, protecting our fundamental freedoms, and building an economy that works for all Florida families, not just those at the top,” Nixon said.

While Nixon says she is ready to debate, it’s unclear if Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, who is the leading fundraiser in the Democratic field, will join her on stage. As of the end of March, Vindman had nearly $6.5 million on hand, while Nixon barely had $175,000.

Florida Politics has reached out to Vindman to see if he would debate, but an answer wasn’t immediately forthcoming.

Nixon says she is the only Democrat who can flip the seat held by Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody. Nixon has said that Vindman, who made his reputation protesting the Donald Trump administration, exemplified “timid, status quo leadership.”

She asked for a debate early in June. Vindman’s campaign said at the time that no announcements or decisions have been made about debates.

There is an argument that Vindman could use the showcase as a way to introduce himself to voters statewide even if he believes he has the Primary on lock, taking an opportunity Val Demings did not back in 2022, as she lost big to Marco Rubio.

A recent poll from the Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) showed Moody leading Vindman 47% to 40%.

The AIF numbers track with the broader polling picture. An Echelon Insights survey in April put Moody at 50% to Vindman’s 43% — and found a similar intensity gap, with 34% definitely behind Moody versus 26% fully committed to Vindman. A Stetson University poll in the Spring showed a nearly identical margin, Moody 49% to Vindman 42%.

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Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics contributed to this report.