St. Johns County voters will choose Florida's next U.S. senator Tuesday in a special election featuring three candidates on the ballot.

Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, Democrat Angie Nixon and independent Neil J. Gillespie are competing to fill the remainder of former Sen. Marco Rubio's term. Rubio left the Senate after becoming U.S. secretary of state, and Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Moody to the seat in January 2025, according to WPTV. The winner will serve the final two years of Rubio's term, meaning the seat returns to the ballot in 2028.

The race is one of two special U.S. Senate elections nationwide this cycle. Republicans hold a 53-to-47 Senate majority, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters must go to their assigned precinct. St. Johns County residents can find their polling place at votesjc.gov or by calling 904-823-2238, according to First Coast News.

Ashley Moody, Republican

Moody, 51, is a former two-term Florida attorney general from Plant City. She served as the state's 38th attorney general from 2019 to 2025, according to her official Senate biography. Before that she worked as a federal prosecutor and judge. She holds a law degree from the University of Florida.

In the Senate, Moody sits on the Armed Services Committee and the Joint Economic Committee. She is endorsed by President Donald Trump, according to her campaign website.

Moody has emphasized law enforcement and public safety on the campaign trail. At a campaign stop in Martin County, she pointed to Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" and touted tax cuts, WPTV reported. She has framed the race as a choice between "safety or chaos" and "freedom or socialism."

Moody did not respond to a voter guide survey conducted by the News Collaborative of Central Florida through WKMG. Her positions were compiled from her Senate website and public statements.

Angie Nixon, Democrat

Nixon, 42, is a state House member from Jacksonville and a fifth-generation Jacksonville native. She also runs a bookstore and coffee shop, according to the WKMG voter guide.

A member of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party, Nixon won the Aug. 18 Democratic primary with about 56% of the vote, defeating former National Security Council official Alex Vindman. Vindman had raised roughly $16 million to Nixon's less than $1 million, according to First Coast News.

Nixon supports Medicare for All, a $25 minimum wage and universal child care. She has said she would file legislation on her first day in office to reinstate enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that expired at the end of 2025, according to her campaign website.

On housing, Nixon told the WKMG voter guide she wants to increase housing supply by "incentivizing construction of affordable housing and re-evaluating the zoning laws to allow construction of more duplexes and mixed-use developments."

Nixon is endorsed by U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost. If elected, she would become Florida's first Black U.S. senator, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Neil J. Gillespie, no party affiliation

Gillespie, 70, of Ocala filed as a candidate on March 16 and qualified on April 24 by paying the qualifying fee, according to the Florida Division of Elections. He is on Social Security retirement income, according to his FEC filing.

On his campaign blog, Gillespie describes himself as a "working class capitalist" and an independent voice beyond partisan politics. He did not respond to the WKMG voter guide survey, and no detailed policy positions on housing, healthcare or other mainstream issues appear in available public records.

The political landscape

Florida has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 2012. A University of North Florida poll of likely voters conducted Oct. 12-19 showed Moody leading Nixon 49% to 45%, with independents favoring Nixon by 15 points, First Coast News reported.

Results will begin posting after polls close at 7 p.m. Most Florida counties release early and mail ballot totals shortly after closing, according to the AP. Florida law requires a machine recount in races where the margin falls within 0.5% of total votes cast.