Florida Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon stated on Wednesday that she wants her Republican opponent, U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, locked up and punished in jail. Nixon made the comments during a CNN interview with host Kasie Hunt, arguing that Moody misappropriated funds intended for sick children in the Medicaid program.
Nixon claimed that Moody rerouted $10 million from the Medicaid program into two political slush funds for former Gov. Ron DeSantis to defeat two citizen-led ballot initiatives. She further asserted that Moody voted to end healthcare for more than 440,000 people in Florida. When Hunt asked if she genuinely wanted her opponent incarcerated, Nixon confirmed, saying, "Basically, yes. Because of what she did, yes. I absolutely would want that to happen. Yes."
Nixon said she would call for a federal investigation into the matter if elected to the U.S. Senate. She pointed to a decision by the First District Court of Appeals to suppress a grand jury report, noting that the judge who made that decision was appointed by DeSantis. Nixon described the situation as corruption and stated that people are angry because they do not know how many children might die as a result of the funds not reaching their intended destination.
During the interview, Nixon also dismissed Republican advertisements claiming she wants to abolish prisons and defund the police. She asked why she would want to do such things when she wants Moody jailed for alleged misconduct. Nixon, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), defeated Alexander Vindman in the Democratic primary earlier this year. While she acknowledged her DSA affiliation, Nixon told NBC News in August that she is not a socialist. She said she joined the organization to support public housing, healthcare, assistance for homeless veterans, and removing big money from politics.
Moody's team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Moody has not been charged in connection with the Hope Florida settlement controversy and has denied wrongdoing. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who was present for the interview, did not weigh in on Nixon's remarks. Murphy's office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Emma Hall, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, criticized Nixon's statements in a statement to Fox News Digital. Hall questioned why a "socialist extremist" would want to jail political opponents while being fine with freeing dangerous criminals. She also asked how Nixon plans to execute such a plan if she wants to abolish all prisons.