ORLANDO, Fla. – Jennifer Jenkins, the former Brevard County school board member who earned acclaim on the left for her criticism of Moms for Liberty, is withdrawing from her U.S. Senate campaign, one day after Alex Vindman jumped into the race.
Jenkins announced her intention to run last year, and filed with the Federal Election Commission.
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But on Thursday, Jenkins announced on X.com that she was stepping aside and endorsing Vindman for the Democratic nomination in Florida’s Senate race. The winner of the Democratic nomination will face Sen. Ashley Moody in the November election.
“I’m stepping out of this race, but I am not stepping out of the fight. This is a moment for us to unite, to focus on what’s right, and to do what it will take to defeat Ashley Moody,” Jenkins said in a news release.
She then endorsed Vindman for the Democratic nomination.
Jenkins said she would announce her next steps soon.
I'm so proud of this campaign and the fight we started. Florida is too important to stay divided, which is why I've decided to step aside and proudly endorse @AVindman for U.S. Senate.
— Jennifer Jenkins (@Jenkins4Florida) January 29, 2026
Stay tuned. Next steps will be announced in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/lkKqu7aV0x
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was a National Security Council specialist on Russia and Ukraine during the first Trump administration.
Vindman testified during the first impeachment of President Donald Trump in 2019. He accused the president of improperly trying to push the Ukrainian government to investigate Hunter Biden, former President Joe Biden’s son.
Vindman was forced out of the NSC after testifying. He accused Trump and administration officials of retaliating against Vindman for testifying by holding up his promotion to Lt. Colonel. He later retired from the military.
His twin brother, Eugene Vindman, was a lawyer with the NSC at the time. He was also removed from the NSC staff after his brother’s testimony. He is now a congressman in Virginia.
Other Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate include Alex Gould, Tamika Lyles and Hector Mujica.
Another candidate, Josh Weil, suspended his campaign last year because of health problems.
The candidates who qualify will be on the ballot in the Aug. 18 Florida statewide primary.
The winner will face Republican Ashley Moody in November. Moody is the former Florida attorney general who replaced Marco Rubio in the Senate after Rubio was appointed U.S. secretary of state.