Former Brevard County School Board member Jennifer Jenkins has formally launched her campaign to challenge U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., in the 2026 election.

In an announcement video, Jenkins, a Democrat, said she plans to be "fearless about fighting for working people and laser-focused on making Florida more affordable for everyone."

Ashley Moody's path to the Senate

Moody, twice elected Florida attorney general, was appointed to the U.S. Senate in January by Gov. Ron DeSantis after Marco Rubio was named secretary of state by President Donald Trump.

"We've let MAGA extremists and out-of-touch billionaires take over our country," Jenkins said in the video. "And while we fight for the minimum to get by, our senator Ashley Moody got handed a U.S. Senate seat, knowing she'll do exactly what Trump, DeSantis and the billionaires tell her to do."

Jennifer Jenkins' political background and uphill fight

In 2020, Jenkins unseated Tina Descovich in a school board race. Descovich later co-founded the conservative group Moms for Liberty. Last year, Jenkins launched the political advocacy organization Educated. We Stand.

Jenkins faces steep odds in a statewide race. 

Republicans currently hold a 1.355 million-voter advantage over Democrats in active registered voters and control every statewide office.

The Republican Party of Florida quickly labeled Jenkins an "out-of-touch activist" and a "radical liberal."