Angie Nixon wins Florida Senate primary; Trump picks lose

Angie Nixon, a Florida state lawmaker and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, won the Democratic US Senate primary to challenge for a Republican-held seat in November, while several candidates backed by President Donald Trump lost other primaries.

Nixon defeated former national security official Alexander Vindman, who became nationally known after testifying against Trump during his first impeachment proceedings. Vindman quickly endorsed Nixon after the result.

Nixon was backed by prominent left-wing lawmakers, though the Democratic Socialists of America did not formally endorse her. During the campaign, she told NBC News that her politics were “people-centered.”

Her win revived momentum for the Democratic Party's left wing after a narrow loss in a closely watched Wisconsin gubernatorial primary last week. But the result could also make the Florida Senate race harder for Democrats in a state that has moved Republican in recent years. Election analysts downgraded Democratic chances of flipping the seat.

Mainstream Democrats won elsewhere in Florida. Congressman Jared Moskowitz defeated a democratic socialist challenger in a newly redrawn district that Republicans hope to capture in November, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz survived a crowded primary in a heavily Democratic seat.

Republicans also faced setbacks. Trump-backed congressman Cory Mills lost his Florida primary after months of controversy and a House Ethics Committee investigation involving allegations of campaign finance violations and sexual misconduct. Mills denies wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.

Another Trump-endorsed candidate lost a Republican primary for a southwest Florida House seat, and Trump's preferred candidate for Wyoming governor was defeated by a state senator. Trump-backed Byron Donalds won Florida's Republican nomination for governor and will face former Republican congressman David Jolly, now a Democrat, in November.

In Alaska, a former Democratic congresswoman and a Republican senator advanced from the state's all-party Senate primary, setting up a competitive race in the fall.