Florida Democrat Jennifer Jenkins entered the 2026 Senate race on Wednesday, setting up a challenge to Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) in a state where Democrats have struggled to find their footing.
Jenkins, a former Brevard County school board member and speech pathologist, released a launch video casting herself as a fighter for working families, drawing on her experience working multiple jobs to make ends meet.
“Ashley Moody doesn’t know what it’s like to struggle paying for food, housing, healthcare, and day care, but I do,” she said. “And that’s why I’m running for the United States Senate.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) appointed Moody, a two-term attorney general, to the Senate after President Donald Trump tapped then-Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state at the beginning of 2025. She enters the race with Trump’s endorsement in a state where Republicans have 1.35 million more registered voters than Democrats.
Florida Democrats, weakened by years of losses and fractured messaging, face a shrinking electorate. The Senate field has remained thin since liberal teacher Josh Weil bowed out earlier this summer, positioning Jenkins as the party’s most visible candidate so far.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Jenkins pushed back on the notion that Florida is no longer competitive.
“I reject the idea that our state isn’t winnable for Democrats because honestly, it’s my future, it’s my daughter’s future, and I’m not going to give up on that,” she said. She argued Democrats must expand their coalition by energizing their base, winning back independents, and appealing to Republicans “who are just purely sick and tired of the chaos and the distractions.”
Jenkins first rose to prominence in 2020 when she won a seat on the Brevard County School Board, unseating incumbent Tina Descovich, who later co-founded Moms for Liberty. Her upset in a county Trump carried by about 16 points drew national attention and quickly made her a target of conservative activists.
On the board, she frequently clashed with state officials and conservative lawmakers, including now-Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), then a state legislator, over COVID-19 mitigation policies and LGBT issues. Jenkins voted to continue mask mandates in Brevard County schools, even after the DeSantis administration directed districts to lift them, a stance that brought protests outside her home, threats against her family, and national media scrutiny.
“Listen, I didn’t ask for COVID. If I could have done it differently, I would have asked for it to never be a thing in my life. But when it did hit us, I did what leaders were supposed to do. I did what was best to protect our kids and our community,” Jenkins said. “Even though it wasn’t politically popular, I wanted to make sure that our people were protected and that they were safe. We lost dozens of staff members. I had so many students in the ICU. … This is a decision I made based on facts and compassion, and what was best for kids’ safety. And I will never, ever, ever regret doing that.”
The 38-year-old later founded Educated We Stand, a political organization that backed school board candidates opposing conservatives. Jenkins said the group’s endorsed candidates won nearly 80% of their races in 2024.
Moody brings a very different profile to the Senate race. A former prosecutor, judge, and two-term attorney general, she has twice won statewide office by comfortable margins. As a senator, she has closely aligned herself with Trump and DeSantis.
Much of the debate in the 2026 midterm elections is expected to center on Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, recently rebranded the “Working Families Tax Cut Bill.” Republicans are presenting it as the signature legislative accomplishment of Trump’s second term, stressing tax benefits while facing criticism over Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cuts. Democrats have seized on those provisions, with Jenkins accusing Moody of doing Trump’s bidding in Washington, “voting to rip healthcare away from over 1.8 million Floridians.”
In the interview, Jenkins acknowledged the legislation includes some provisions that could help people, such as temporary tax breaks for seniors, but said those are outweighed by cuts to programs millions rely on.
“We’ve given tax breaks to billionaires and little to everyday Americans,” she said. “Floridians are at risk of losing their healthcare. The government should be working for people, not against them.”
Her policy lens is rooted in her own experience growing up in a working-class family and juggling multiple jobs to pay the bills.
“Most people get up in the morning, they’re trying to shove cereal down their kids’ mouths, they’re rushing out the door to work, they’re balancing sometimes two and three jobs,” she said. “We really need a fighter in Washington who’s going to bring it back to the focus of what everyone cares about.”
DEFEATED FLORIDA DEMOCRATS SEEK TO REGROUP AT BLUE GALA IN THEIR ‘RED STATE’
Asked about Democrats’ broader struggles heading into 2026, Jenkins said the party needs to focus less on messaging and more on listening.
“Too often we walk away from communities because we think they’re too hard to win,” she said. “We need to show up where people are hurting, listen, and build trust across party lines.”
Her comments come as Democrats face a leadership crossroads in Washington, with long-serving figures under scrutiny and younger candidates pushing for change. That perspective also shapes how she views leadership in the Senate.
When asked whether she would support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to continue as leader if elected, Jenkins did not commit, stressing she doesn’t know Schumer but “would be happy to meet him and get to know him.” She said she would be looking for someone “who has integrity, who fights for working families, and who is willing to listen to everybody.”
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the 2026 Florida Senate race as “solid red.”
