Florida Senate hopeful Angie Nixon leveled sharp criticism at Vice President JD Vance during a weekend get-out-the-vote rally in Tallahassee, firing back after the vice president suggested that socialists should leave the country.
Speaking alongside independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Nixon addressed a crowd of supporters by taking direct aim at her political opponents, including Republican opponent Ashley Moody, Donald Trump, and Vance. During her remarks, Nixon invoked her family history in response to earlier comments from the vice president.
The exchange stems from a campaign stop in Lakeland, Florida, where Vance criticized Nixon’s political platform. During that appearance, Vance told the audience that voters should reject what he described as socialism, arguing that those who want to fundamentally change the nation should leave.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, when Angie Nixon calls herself a socialist, I think the right response is to say, then get the hell out of here. You don’t belong in America if those are your views,” Vance said to applause during his Lakeland visit, pointing to Florida’s large population of legal immigrants from Latin America who experienced the effects of socialist governance.
Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who has denied being a socialist, used her Tallahassee platform to reject Vance’s comments. She told the crowd that her ancestors helped construct the buildings utilized by national figures, arguing that it was unconscionable to tell descendants of those who built the country that they do not belong.
“The very buildings he’s walking around in,” Nixon declared to supporters. “Imagine standing on the shoulders of the people who built this country and then telling their descendants they don’t belong here.”
Nixon also criticized both Vance and Moody, accusing them of avoiding public accountability and prioritizing personal interests and wealthy donors over constituents. She emphasized her commitment to her home state and urged voters to support her campaign leading up to the November 3 election.
The Tallahassee rally formed part of ongoing campaign events across the state as candidates vie for voter turnout ahead of the upcoming election cycle.
