Florida Republican Senate nominee Ashley Moody has recently declined to debate Democratic candidate Angie Nixon. The decision did not sit well with liberal-leaning Florida voters, who mocked Moody and called her a “coward” for skipping the debate.
As reported by WTSP, Moody will not debate Nixon, and no debate is expected to take place before the election. Moody is defending her current seat as a U.S. Senator, a position she got after serving as Attorney General of Florida. In 2025, she was appointed to the seat following the resignation of Marco Rubio, who became Secretary of State.
This is just the latest of many debate cancellations happening in Florida recently. A few days ago, for example, Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly publicly declined to debate Republican Byron Donalds, who is the favorite to become the next governor of Florida.
Republican Ashley Moody Mocked by Floridians
Floridians on Reddit’s r/Florida did not take Moody’s refusal to debate very well, and multiple users mocked her and the GOP. One of them said: “Republicans are such cowards lol.” Another one added that the decision was mostly “because she talks and debates like a schoolyard child.”
Most users seemed to believe that Moody did not want to debate because she was the weaker candidate: “Moody knows she will flounder and lose is why. Guaranteed. Debates should be required and mandatory.”
The view was shared by many others as well: “All of the Republicans are refusing to debate because they have nothing to run on. The Democrats going against them should definitely debate an empty podium.”
Others complained that this is becoming the norm: “It’s the Republican playbook now. They don’t want debates because they don’t want their bubbles burst. The control the media that they appear in, and a publicly broadcast debate outside their controlled media doesn’t allow them to have full propaganda license.”
Overall, Floridians were not happy to see Moody’s choice, but many liberal-leaning voters were encouraged that this was due to Nixon’s strength. One user summarized the overall sentiment: “Republicans are terrified of the blue wave.”
