National Security Council aide Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 19, 2019, during a public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)
A combat veteran, Vindman was subsequently fired from his position with the NSC. He became a vocal Trump critic and later wrote two books and worked as a senior adviser for VoteVets, a Democrat-aligned group that helps to elect veterans.
"I stepped up when my country needed a soldier, I reported corruption at the highest levels of government, and now I’m stepping up again to fight for Floridians," Vindman said in a social media post.
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And spotlighting his past clash with Trump, Vindman charged in his video that "this president unleashed a reign of terror and retribution, not just against me and my family, but against all of us."
Republican Sen. Ashley Moody of Florida is running in the midterms to serve the final two years of now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio's term in the Senate. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Vindman, who lives in left-leaning Broward County in southern Florida, joins a field of Democratic Senate candidates that includes state Rep. Hector Mujica and Brevard County school board member Jennifer Jenkins.
Whoever wins the Democratic primary will face a steep uphill climb against Moody.
The Cook Report, Inside Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball, three top nonpartisan political handicappers, rate the race as solid or safe Republican.
"Florida is a ruby red state and Democrats have no path to flipping its Senate seat in 2026," National Republican Senatorial Committee regional press secretary Nick Puglia told Fox News Digital. "Anyone who thinks otherwise is not living in reality."
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Vindman isn't the first member of his family to run for federal office.
His twin brother, Eugene Vindman, was elected to Congress in 2024, succeeding now Gov. Abigail Spanberger in a district in northern and central Virginia.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-whistleblower-vindman-launches-democratic-senate-run-florida