Trump whistleblower Alexander Vindman eyeing Florida Senate run [View all]

Source: CBS Miami

Alexander Vindman, the whistleblower who triggered Donald Trump's first impeachment, is considering a run for the United States Senate next year against Florida Republican Ashley Moody.

In an exclusive interview with CBS News Miami, the retired lieutenant colonel said he was approached about running and was discussing it with close friends and advisors.

"I think that the Democrats need to win in some very, very difficult places in order to wrestle control back," he explained during an interview scheduled to air Sunday morning on Facing South Florida. "I'm not sure if Florida is the place to do that. It might be. My worldview is that Trump is going to hurt a lot of people, and this will be a referendum [on Trump] and there'll be an opportunity for people power to manifest. Folks will show up that stayed on the sidelines last time, or that got more than they bargained for with Donald Trump. So, I don't think the state is too far gone by any means. I certainly don't believe that. I just don't know if I'm the right person to do that or if that's the right role for me."

Moody, the state's former attorney general, was appointed in January to the Senate by Governor Ron DeSantis to replace Marco Rubio after Rubio became Trump's Secretary of State. Moody has won statewide office twice, when she was elected AG in 2018 and 2022. But she has never had a serious contender in any of her elections and politically she had tended to fade into the background, often standing in the shadows during press conferences.

Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/miami/news/trump-whistleblower-alexander-vindman-eyeing-florida-senate-run/