Ashley Moody’s record: What Florida’s senator did as attorney general and in Washington
U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., is on the Nov. 3 ballot in a special election for the seat Marco Rubio left to become secretary of state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Moody in January 2025. Before that, she was Florida's attorney general starting in 2019 (Roll Call).
Moody won the Republican primary Aug. 18. Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon beat Alex Vindman for her party's nomination (CBS News). Neil J. Gillespie, who has no party affiliation, has also qualified for the ballot (Florida Division of Elections).
A Stetson University poll released this week had Moody ahead of Nixon 52% to 41% among registered voters (Stetson University). A Mason-Dixon poll for NBC6 and Telemundo 51, taken Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, had Moody at 50%, Nixon at 40% and Gillespie at 2% (NBC Miami).
This report covers Moody's fight against the 2024 abortion and marijuana amendments, her office's role in the Hope Florida settlement, her lawsuits as attorney general, the opioid settlement, her Senate votes on health care, food aid and public broadcasting, and who is paying for her campaign. Each section includes her stated position where we could find one.
FMNN sent 13 questions about this report to Sen. Moody's Senate press office with a deadline of Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 5 p.m. Her office did not respond. We will add any response we receive.
Fighting the abortion and marijuana amendments
What she did: As attorney general, Moody asked the Florida Supreme Court to keep the abortion-rights amendment off the 2024 ballot. In a 39-page brief filed in 2023, she argued its summary would mislead voters. She said the wording was part of a design "to lay ticking time bombs that will enable abortion proponents later" to argue for a broader meaning (News Service of Florida via WMNF).
She argued that "viability" could be read to mean a point much earlier than the 23 to 24 weeks used under Roe v. Wade. She also argued "patient's health" could include mental health and "swallow the rule" (News Service of Florida via WMNF).
She also asked the court to block the recreational marijuana amendment. Her 49-page filing said it "misleads voters in several key respects," in part because marijuana would remain illegal under federal law (Florida Phoenix).
The court rejected both challenges. It voted 4-3 to put the abortion measure on the ballot and 5-2 to allow the marijuana measure (AP via OPB).
Later in 2024, a Palm Beach County lawyer asked the court to stop a state agency's taxpayer-funded campaign against Amendment 4. Moody's lawyers told the court the state's effort was "good government," not election interference (Florida Phoenix).
The effect: Just over 57% of voters approved Amendment 4. That was short of the 60% Florida requires to amend its constitution (WUSF). More than 6 million people voted yes (The Miami Hurricane).
Amendment 3 got 55.9% on election night, according to the Division of Elections. It also needed 60% (MJBizDaily).
Because Amendment 4 failed, Florida's six-week abortion ban stays in effect (WUSF). The ban took effect May 1, 2024, after the court's ruling on the state's privacy clause (Ballotpedia News).
A Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald investigation found at least $36.2 million in state money went to fighting the two amendments. That total includes the $10 million from Hope Florida, described below (WUSF).
When DeSantis appointed Moody to the Senate, he said: "She was also a staunch opponent and helped us defeat Amendments 3 and 4" (CBS Miami).
Her stated reason: Moody said both summaries would mislead voters about what the amendments would actually do (News Service of Florida via WMNF, Florida Phoenix).
Hope Florida and the $10 million
What happened: In 2024, Centene Corp. agreed to pay about $67 million over alleged Medicaid overbilling. The deal sent $10 million to the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity tied to first lady Casey DeSantis, with no limits on how the money could be used. Two nonprofits that received $5 million each from the foundation then sent a total of $8.5 million to a political committee chaired by DeSantis' then-chief of staff (PolitiFact).
That committee, Keep Florida Clean, was created to fight Amendment 3 (PolitiFact). It was chaired by James Uthmeier, then DeSantis' chief of staff and now attorney general (WLRN).
About $57 million of Florida's $67 million share went back to taxpayers (CBS Miami).
Moody's office's role, as documented: Moody's office was a signer of the settlement. Her chief deputy, John Guard, signed it (CBS Miami). Moody's own Aug. 27 statement confirms her office signed (Fox 49). Her title appears in the final agreement (PolitiFact).
Records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald show Guard removed references to the attorney general's office from drafts over 22 days in September 2024. Centene's lawyers pushed to keep the office in. Guard wrote that he didn't really want to represent the state in the deal but was "fine with this" (Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald).
Guard has said Moody approved the agreement before he signed it (PolitiFact).
CBS Miami also reported that in 2022, under Moody, the state dropped the outside law firm pursuing the Centene refund and did little to recover the money until 2024 (CBS Miami).
What the grand jury said: A Leon County grand jury wrote a report in January 2026. WLRN reported that it alleged a scheme to misuse the money. It indicted no one, citing insufficient evidence (WLRN).
CBS News Miami obtained a copy of the sealed report and published it in August. CBS reported that the report described Guard consulting Moody before signing. Neither Moody, DeSantis nor Uthmeier was called to testify (CBS Miami).
On Oct. 7, the 1st District Court of Appeal unanimously ordered the report expunged. The court said the grand jury exceeded its authority and the settlement was legal. Judge Lance Neff, a DeSantis appointee, wrote the opinion (WLRN).
Still open: Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell said her office is reviewing whether any crime connected to Hope Florida was committed in her circuit (WKMG). Central Florida Public Media reported that her office has not opened a formal criminal investigation (Central Florida Public Media). Uthmeier has called the effort a witch hunt (WDBO).
What is not alleged or not known: Moody is not charged with any crime. No one was indicted. Moody did not personally sign the agreement; her chief deputy, John Guard, signed it. PolitiFact found it is not known whether Moody knew how the $10 million would be spent. PolitiFact rated "Half True" a Vindman claim that Moody transferred the money to a campaign fund. It said her office did not literally do that (PolitiFact).
Afterward: As a senator, Moody backed Guard's nomination to a federal judgeship. The White House paused the nomination because of the Hope Florida criminal investigation. Sen. Rick Scott refused to return his blue slip for Guard. Moody then held her blue slip on a Scott ally's nomination as U.S. attorney for a time (Axios).
Nixon called on Moody to resign: "Everyone involved in this, Ashley Moody included, should resign" (CBS Miami).
Her defense: In an Aug. 27 statement, Moody said reports "misrepresent the facts." She said the Agency for Health Care Administration negotiated the deal and that the agreement "made clear how settlement money would be dispersed, to include funds going to Hope Florida." She said her office was one of several agencies that signed, which is standard. She said it "had no knowledge of how funds would be spent" (Fox 49, CBS Miami).
Her campaign pointed to a Politico analysis that found the $67 million settlement was more than three times the state's actual loss. Campaign communications director Cameron Gambini said Moody "would certainly have no issue with the public release of any report" (PolitiFact).
Lawsuits as attorney general
Moody took conservative positions in "dozens of lawsuits," often backing President Donald Trump or opposing the Biden administration, Roll Call reported. Those included suits over immigration, appliance efficiency rules, college accreditation and a federal rule on gender-identity discrimination in health care (Roll Call).
The Affordable Care Act: Florida joined the lawsuit to overturn the ACA in 2018 under Moody's predecessor, Pam Bondi. Moody inherited the case. Dozens of groups asked her to withdraw (WLRN). The state did not withdraw (WFTV). At the time, nearly 2 million Floridians bought plans on the ACA marketplace (WLRN).
The U.S. Supreme Court threw out the case 7-2 on June 17, 2021. It ruled the states lacked standing (U.S. Supreme Court).
Her office said Moody "consistently supported the protection of those with pre-existing conditions." It pointed to a 2019 state law that bars insurers from excluding people with past health problems if the federal law falls (WLRN).
The 2020 election: On Dec. 9, 2020, Moody joined 16 other Republican attorneys general backing Texas' bid to challenge election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. She said "the integrity and resolution of the 2020 election is of paramount importance" (WPTV).
Two days later, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case. It said Texas "has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections" (U.S. Supreme Court).
Defending state laws in court
Social media: Moody was the lead name in Moody v. NetChoice, Florida's defense of its law regulating social media platforms. She said "these social media platforms have amassed a great deal of power" (Roll Call). The 11th Circuit had ruled the law violated the platforms' First Amendment rights. On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously vacated that ruling and sent the case back for more review (National Constitution Center).
Drag shows: Moody's office defended the state's ban on children attending drag performances (Roll Call). Orlando restaurant Hamburger Mary's sued in 2023. In May 2025, an 11th Circuit panel voted 2-1 to keep the law blocked as likely unconstitutional, upholding a lower-court ruling that called it "overly broad and vaguely written" (AP via Bangor Daily News).
The opioid settlement
What she did: Moody's office secured more than $3 billion from opioid makers, distributors and pharmacies, to be paid over about 20 years. The money must go to prevention, treatment and recovery. A share goes directly to cities and counties (Florida Attorney General).
"Our hope is this money, paid out over the next two decades, will save lives and help Florida families and communities heal," Moody said (Florida Attorney General).
Criticism of how some of it was used: In 2024, the Department of Children and Families allocated about $4 million from the opioid settlement trust fund to a Tallahassee marketing firm. News outlets linked the spending to ads against Amendment 3 (Florida Phoenix, WUSF).
The Orlando Sentinel reported the governor's office directed that money. Members of the Statewide Council on Opioid Abatement said they were never told (WUSF). We found no reporting that Moody directed or approved the ad spending.
The 2025 budget law: health coverage and food aid
Her vote: Moody voted yes on H.R. 1, the 2025 budget reconciliation law. It passed the Senate July 1, 2025, 50-50, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie (U.S. Senate).
Projected effect on health coverage: The Congressional Budget Office estimates the law alone will leave about 10 million more Americans uninsured in 2034. KFF's state breakdown of CBO's numbers puts Florida's share at about 590,000 people. Add the expiration of enhanced ACA tax credits, and KFF projects about 1.5 million more uninsured Floridians (KFF).
Food aid: The law raises the work-requirement age for SNAP to 64. It removes exemptions for homeless people, veterans and former foster youth under 24 (CBS Miami).
The law also makes states pay part of SNAP benefits if their error rates are high, starting in 2027 (CBS Miami). Florida's 2025 error rate was 12.97%. The Florida Policy Institute estimates the state would owe about $984 million in fiscal 2028-29 alone to keep benefits at current levels (Florida Policy Institute).
Her stated reason: Moody said the bill "delivers the LARGEST tax cut for the working and middle class in history." Her office said it ended taxes on most tips, overtime and Social Security, funded border security and avoided a $3,650 tax increase for the average Florida family. Her release did not mention Medicaid or SNAP (Sen. Moody's office).
ACA subsidies
Her vote: On Dec. 11, 2025, the Senate rejected a Democratic bill to extend enhanced ACA tax credits for three years. The vote was 51-48, short of the 60 needed (Axios). Moody and Scott voted no (WUSF). The Senate also rejected a Republican plan that would have put $1,000 to $1,500 into health savings accounts for some enrollees instead (Axios).
The effect: Florida had a record 4.7 million marketplace enrollees in 2025 (Florida Policy Institute). After the credits expired, more than 440,000 Floridians left the marketplace, the largest drop in the nation, according to federal data (Axios Tampa Bay).
Her stated reason: We found no public statement from Moody explaining this vote (WUSF). Her office did not respond to Orlando Weekly about her health care votes (Orlando Weekly).
Public broadcasting cuts
Moody voted yes July 17, 2025, on the rescissions package. It passed 51-48 (U.S. Senate). The package cut $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which then announced it would shut down (Tampa Bay 28).
Tampa's PBS station, WEDU, faced a loss of about $2.8 million. WUSF faced cuts of about $800,000 (Tampa Bay 28). WUSF said it lost $700,000 in federal money (WUSF).
We found no statement from Moody on this vote.
What she says
Moody calls herself an "America First fighter." Her campaign site stresses law and order, economic prosperity and American sovereignty, tax cuts and support for police. It notes Trump's endorsement (Moody campaign).
She is running on immigration, crime and the economy. She has said, "We cannot let soft-on-crime policies affect the safety of our citizens." She credits the 2025 law for tax cuts on tips, overtime and Social Security, and says Floridians got the country's largest average federal refunds this year (WGCU). Trump has said she is "doing a tremendous job representing the incredible people of Florida" (CBS News).
The money
Her campaign: Through July 29, Moody's two authorized committees reported $11.27 million in receipts. That includes $4.21 million moved between her own committees. Contributions totaled $7.04 million: $4.95 million from individuals and $2.02 million from other committees, such as PACs. She had $8.49 million cash on hand (FEC). Newer quarterly reports are due Oct. 15.
Super PAC: Stronger Safer Nation, a super PAC formed in 2025 to support Moody, spent about $4.9 million over two weeks attacking Nixon. That was roughly 87% of all spending in the race. Citadel founder Ken Griffin gave $2.5 million in May. A Florida state PAC gave $6.7 million when it closed in March. The super PAC has raised about $12 million. Moody's campaign did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the spending (Reuters via KELO).
Campaign: ashleymoody.com | Senate office: moody.senate.gov
Read our Spotlight on Angie Nixon.