A Democrat is running for U.S. Senate with a clear message: Make Florida Affordable for Working People.
Jennifer Jenkins, an educator, mom, and former school board member, announced her campaign for the U.S. Senate in Florida and says she has a track record of standing up to extremism and winning in a deep red county.
Jenkins is an educator who said she “knows what it’s like to struggle to pay the bills,” adding that she has worked multiple jobs ever since she graduated community college, even delivering groceries so that her family could put food on their own table.
“We’re going to run a different type of campaign, one that is fearless about fighting for working people and laser-focused on making Florida more affordable for everyone,” said Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jennifer Jenkins.
Jenkins believes she is a strong option for Democrats because of her track record of standing up to extremism and winning in a deep-red county. She made national headlines in 2020 when she defeated the co-founder of Moms for Liberty in a county Donald Trump won by double digits. On the school board, Jenkins said she “stood up for public schools, pushed back against extremism, and defended students from political bullies — even when it brought threats, protests at her home, and harassment of her family.” The Democrat said she never backed down.
Jenkins is running for the Democratic nomination to face Republican Senator Ashley Moody in the general election. Jenkins described Senator Moody as “a career politician who was handed her seat by DeSantis, Trump, and the billionaires that control Washington.” Her campaign said Senator Moody has done their bidding, voting to take healthcare away from over 1.8 million Floridians, ignoring the property insurance and affordability crisis, and even supporting “dangerous vaccine conspiracies” that put children’s health at risk.
Republicans including President Donald Trump are standing behind Senator Ashley Moody. Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power even called Jenkins “the worst candidate for Florida.”
In a video released to launch her campaign last month, Jenkins pledges to fight for the working Florida families that have been left behind by career politicians and the special interests that own them.
Transcript of the Jennifer Jenkins campaign video:
[Jennifer Jenkins] When things are tough, you find a way to make it work.
My husband and I are educators, and when money got tight, I took a second job delivering groceries so we could buy our own.
I’m Jennifer Jenkins. When the school board wasn’t delivering, I decided to run myself. And despite the odds, I won. In a county that Trump won by double digits.
[Voice over] Jenkins has had protests outside her home, vandalism, and threats of violence.
[Jenkins] And when extremists came after me and targeted my family, I refused to back down.
[Lawrence O’Donnell] When I saw the video of Jennifer Jenkins speaking at a school board meeting in Florida, I was in awe of her courage and her calm.
[Jenkins] What I reject is this effort to create fear and division in the community that leads to credible threats of violence against me and my family.
I was raised to work hard, be tough and never quit. My mom battled an auto-immune disease, while dad worked in law enforcement to support us. I went to Brevard Community College, where I fell in love with my husband Sam and we made Florida home. Later, I went to UCF and became a speech pathologist, working with hundreds of kids. And I taught them how to use their voice.
Lately, politicians have forgotten how to use their voice.
[VO] People wanted to see more out of Democrats.
[Jenkins] And how to represent working people like. We’ve let MAGA extremists and out of touch billionaires take over our country. And while we fight for the minimum to get by, our Senator Ashley Moody got handed a US Senate seat, knowing she’ll do exactly what Trump, DeSantis, and the billionaires tell her to do.
Ashley Moody doesn’t know what it’s like to struggle paying for food, housing, healthcare and day care, but I do. And what’s why I’m running for the United States Senate. I’m fighting for my family and for all the families in Florida who work hard, fight harder, and won’t quit when the chips are down. And that fight starts today.
