{"id":2484515,"date":"2025-09-10T05:31:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T09:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jennifer-jenkins-launches-2026-florida-senate-bid\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T05:33:40","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T09:33:40","slug":"jennifer-jenkins-launches-2026-florida-senate-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jennifer-jenkins-launches-2026-florida-senate-bid\/","title":{"rendered":"Jennifer Jenkins launches 2026 Florida Senate bid"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjennifer-jenkins-launches-2026-florida-senate-bid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2484515&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Democrat Jennifer Jenkins has officially entered the 2026 Florida Senate race, challenging incumbent Republican Senator Ashley Moody. Jenkins, a former Brevard County school board member adn <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-media-continues-to-let-elizabeth-warren-repeat-her-false-claim-about-being-fired-for-being-pregnant\/\" title=\"The Media Continues To Let Elizabeth Warren Repeat Her False Claim About Being Fired For Being Pregnant\">speech pathologist<\/a>, positions herself as a champion for working families, drawing on her personal experience <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/entire-dollar-general-staff-quits-simultaneously-leaving-behind-a-note-for-customers\/\" title=\"Dollar General staff all quit together, leaving note for customers\">juggling multiple jobs<\/a>. She seeks to appeal to a broad coalition, including energized Democrats, independents, and dissatisfied Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>Ashley Moody, appointed to the Senate by governor Ron DeSantis and endorsed by former President Donald Trump, holds a strong position in a heavily Republican state. Moody has a background as a prosecutor, judge, and two-term attorney general, winning statewide office comfortably in the past.<\/p>\n<p>Jenkins has gained attention for her leadership on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-school-boards-association-cuts-ties-with-nsba-following-letter-targeting-parents-as-domestic-terrorists\/\" title=\"... School ...s Association Cuts Ties with NSBA Following Letter Targeting Parents as \u2018Domestic Terrorists\u2019\">local school board issues<\/a>,including her support for COVID-19 safety measures and her opposition to conservative policies,which have drawn national scrutiny and threats. She founded Educated We Stand, a political group that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >supports progressive school board candidates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign is expected to focus in part on Republicans&#8217; &#8220;one Big Beautiful Bill,&#8221; a tax and social policy package that Jenkins criticizes for cutting healthcare and assistance programs,accusing Moody of supporting policies harmful to Floridians.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Democrats&#8217; struggles in Florida,Jenkins remains optimistic about the possibility of winning by building trust within communities frequently enough overlooked by her party. She emphasizes the need for listening,integrity,and leadership that fights for working families. The Cook Political Report currently rates the race as &#8220;solid red,&#8221; reflecting the challenging habitat for Democrats in the state. <br \/> <!DOCTYPE html><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Democrat Jennifer Jenkins jumps into the Florida Senate race to unseat Ashley Moody<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2225557\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Florida <\/a>Democrat Jennifer Jenkins entered the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2026<\/a> Senate race on Wednesday, setting up a challenge to Sen.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ashley-moody\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Ashley Moody <\/a>(R-FL) in a state where Democrats have struggled to find their footing.<\/p>\n<p>Jenkins, a former Brevard County school board member and speech pathologist, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FFjAiXizuNg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">released a launch video <\/a>casting herself as a fighter for working families, drawing on her own experience working multiple jobs to make ends meet. &ldquo;Ashley Moody doesn&rsquo;t know what it&rsquo;s like to struggle paying for food, housing, health care, and day care, but I do,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m running for the United States Senate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3800066\/boston-mayor-michelle-wu-general-election-josh-kraft\/\">Boston Mayor Michelle Wu advances to general election against Patriots heir Josh Kraft<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3799638\/james-walkinshaw-wins-virginia-special-election-gerry-connolly\/\">Democrat James Walkinshaw wins Virginia special election to succeed Rep. Gerry Connolly<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3799725\/maryland-gov-wes-moore-officially-announces-2026-re-election-bid-amid-2028-white-house-chatter\/\">Maryland Gov. Wes Moore officially announces 2026 re-election bid amid 2028 White House chatter<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Moody, a two-term attorney general,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3289152\/desantis-appoints-ashley-moody-replace-rubio-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> was appointed<\/a> to the Senate by Gov. Ron DeSantis after President Donald Trump tapped then-Sen. Marco Rubio to serve as Secretary of State at the beginning of 2025. She enters the race with Trump&rsquo;s endorsement in a state where Republicans have 1.35 million more Republicans <a href=\"https:\/\/dos.fl.gov\/elections\/data-statistics\/voter-registration-statistics\/voter-registration-reports\/voter-registration-by-party-affiliation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">registered<\/a> voters than Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Florida Democrats, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3449498\/florida-democrats-seek-renewal-leadership-blue-weekend\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">weakened by years of losses <\/a>and fractured messaging, continue to 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&rsquo;s most visible candidate so far.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, Jenkins pushed back on the notion that Florida is no longer competitive. &ldquo;I reject the idea that our state isn&rsquo;t winnable for Democrats, because honestly, it&rsquo;s my future, it&rsquo;s my daughter&rsquo;s future, and I&rsquo;m not going to give up on that,&rdquo; she said. She argued Democrats must expand their coalition by energizing their base, winning back independents, and appealing to Republicans &ldquo;who are just purely sick and tired of the chaos and the distractions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>On the board, she frequently clashed with state officials and conservative lawmakers, including now-Rep.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/randy-fine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Randy Fine <\/a>(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.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Listen, I didn&rsquo;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,&rdquo; Jenkins said. &ldquo;Even though it wasn&rsquo;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. &hellip; This is a decision I made based on facts and compassion, and what was best for kids&rsquo; safety. And I will never, ever, ever regret doing that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The 38-year-old later founded Educated We Stand, a political organization that backed school board candidates opposing conservatives. Jenkins said the group&rsquo;s endorsed candidates won nearly 80% of their races in 2024.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Much of the debate in the 2026 midterm elections is expected to center on Republicans&rsquo; &ldquo;One Big Beautiful Bill<strong>,&rdquo;<\/strong> recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3792446\/republicans-embrace-white-house-nudge-rename-big-beautiful-bill-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rebranded<\/a> the &ldquo;Working Families Tax Cut Bill.<em>&rdquo;<\/em> Republicans are presenting it as the signature legislative accomplishment of Trump&rsquo;s second term, stressing tax benefits while facing criticism over Medicaid and SNAP cuts. Democrats have seized on those provisions, with Jenkins accusing Moody of doing Trump&rsquo;s bidding in Washington, &ldquo;voting to rip healthcare away from over 1.8 million Floridians.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In the interview, Jenkins acknowledged the legislation includes some provisions that could help people, like temporary tax breaks for seniors, but said those are outweighed by cuts to programs millions rely on. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve given tax breaks to billionaires and little to everyday Americans,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Floridians are at risk of losing their healthcare. The government should be working for people, not against them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Her policy lens is rooted in her own experience growing up in a working-class family and juggling multiple jobs to pay the bills. &ldquo;Most people get up in the morning, they&rsquo;re trying to shove cereal down their kids&rsquo; mouths, they&rsquo;re rushing out the door to work, they&rsquo;re balancing sometimes two and three jobs,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We really need a fighter in Washington who&rsquo;s going to bring it back to the focus of what everyone cares about.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3449498\/florida-democrats-seek-renewal-leadership-blue-weekend\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>DEFEATED FLORIDA DEMOCRATS SEEK TO REGROUP AT BLUE GALA IN THEIR &lsquo;RED STATE&rsquo;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Asked about Democrats&rsquo; broader struggles heading into 2026, Jenkins said the party needs to focus less on messaging and more on listening.&nbsp;&ldquo;Too often we walk away from communities because we think they&rsquo;re too hard to win,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We need to show up where people are hurting, listen, and build trust across party lines.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>When asked whether she would support Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to continue as leader if elected, Jenkins did not commit, stressing she doesn&rsquo;t know Schumer but &ldquo;would be happy to meet him and get to know him.&rdquo; She said she would be looking for someone &ldquo;who has integrity, who fights for working families, and who is willing to listen to everybody.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The non-partisan<em> Cook Political Report<\/em> rates the 2026 Florida Senate race as &ldquo;solid red.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrat Jennifer Jenkins enters 2026 Florida Senate race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2484516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Jenkins-Headshot.jpg?w=683","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[45496,62989,62988],"class_list":["post-2484515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-2026-election","tag-florida-senate","tag-jennifer-jenkins"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Jenkins-Headshot.jpg?w=683","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2484515"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2484519,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484515\/revisions\/2484519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2484516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2484515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2484515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2484515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}