If you’ve followed my writing, you saw that for months I have written and warned about Alexander Vindman. As recently as May I documented his grotesque anti-Muslim bigotry and genocide denial. Vindman shamelessly claimed on a podcast that there is “inherent trained racism against Jewish people in Muslim communities” that is “encouraged” and “nurtured.” I thought I was listening to Ted Cruz ranting on Newsmax about “Shariah Law taking over New York City.” Moreover, 25 years of ADL data shows that effectively 100% of antisemitic attacks in America come from right-wing extremists. Yet, rather than naming the actual source of antisemitic hatred, Vindman instead demonizes and condemns Muslims, by using the same language that Donald Trump uses.
Next, I also documented Vindman’s genocide denial—his refusal to acknowledge Israel’s genocide as confirmed by the UN, ICC, ICJ, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, and Israeli genocide scholars. Finally, I documented his brother Eugene Vindman’s voting record—so conservative that GovTrack placed him to the right of nearly 75 Republicans in the House.
I told you who the Vindmans are. Now, Alexander’s wife Rachel Vindman has further inserted herself into this campaign and publicly confirmed the Vindmans are comfortable with anti-Black racism, and comfortable mocking working class people.
I share those receipts below. We cannot allow this kind of racism, misogynoir, and open bigotry to advance in our party and in our country. Let’s Address This.
What Rachel Vindman Did—In Her Own Words
I have zero interest in mentioning family members in political campaigns. But when those family members launch racist attacks in public, they have made the decision to insert themselves into public campaigns. Last week, Rachel Vindman—wife of Alexander Vindman, Florida Senate candidate—posted the following to her 400,000 followers about Angie Nixon, a Black Florida state legislator and accomplished lawmaker running for US Senate:
“If your campaign events with less than 20 people devolve into you making personal attacks on your opponent, you are a shitty human. I know you’re checking my page and, yes, I am talking about you, but I won’t say your name because you’re not worth it. Also, buy some professional clothes for the love of everything (that includes shoes).”
Angie had more than 250 people at her last campaign event, but it isn’t surprising to see Rachel Vindman try to diminish a Black woman’s success.
Let’s break this down.
First, Angie Nixon has made zero personal attacks against Alexander Vindman. Instead, Rachel Vindman calls a Black woman a “shitty human” for being critical of Alexander Vindman’s policy. That’s indefensible.
Next, Rachel Vindman dehumanizes Angie Nixon by stating “she’s not worth even saying her name.” White southern enslavers actively erased the ancestral names of Black people to deny their humanity because they saw them as less than human. Rachel Vindman’s attack follows that exact horrifying view.
Finally, at a time of massive economic disparity, when more than 200 million Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, Rachel Vindman mocks Angie Nixon for her apparent lack of professional attire and lack of expensive shoes. Angie Nixon is a mom of 5 and proud of her thrift shopping. If you ask me she looks fabulous.
But apparently working class clothing isn’t enough for the millionaire Vindmans.
After facing predictable online backlash, Rachel Vindman then deleted her post—apparently hoping no one had seen it—but with more mockery.
When called out, she posted: “Fine. I deleted it. But I proved my point that you’re watching.”
Finally, after continued condemnation, Rachel Vindman later issued what she called an apology: “Earlier today, I posted comments that were not appropriate and done in poor taste, and I sincerely apologize. I will be more thoughtful about what I post going forward.”
Her non-apology claims she’ll “be more thoughtful.” But here’s the thing—she’s done this before. She’s shown us who she is, and her racist attack on Angie Nixon is who she is. It’s who the Vindmans are. Let me be direct about what happened here. A white woman—with a documented history of anti-Black behavior, which I will address momentarily—publicly mocked a Black woman’s clothing and shoes, dehumanized her a “shitty human,” said she was “not worth it,” deleted the evidence, bragged about proving her point, and then issued a non-apology designed to close the story rather than reckon with the harm.
This is misogynoir—the specific intersection of racism and sexism directed at Black women. It is not a slip. It is a pattern.
This Is Not the First Time
Rachel Vindman has done this before.
When Virginia Delegate Joshua Cole—an accomplished Black state legislator—dared to ask where Eugene Vindman had come from after Eugene moved into the Virginia Congressional district specifically to run for Congress, Rachel Vindman attacked him viciously online. The audacity of a Black elected official asking a legitimate question about a white candidate’s residency was, apparently, intolerable.
She openly declared that she had “entered this fight” and taunted “Also, who are you? Never heard of you.” While several people questioned Eugene Vindman’s sudden move to the district to run, Rachel Vindman attacked the Black lawmaker who asked that question.
Apparently, it’s a “fight” to merely ask who a candidate running for office is? And excuse me, but Delegate Joshua Cole is one of the most accomplished state lawmakers in Virginia over the past decade. And he lives in the district in which Eugene Vindman was running. To attack a Black constituent, who is an elected official, for rightly asking where a person came from, shows a deep level of detachment and arrogance.
And speaking of Eugene: Eugene Vindman’s voting record has been devastating for Democrats in Virginia and nationwide. GovTrack’s nonpartisan ideology scoring placed him among the most conservative Democrats in the House—to the right of nearly 75 Republicans. He is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, the centrist caucus built to make corporate donors comfortable and working families suffer.
And while some might call it unfair to hold Alexander accountable to his brother’s voting record, I could not find a single example of Alexander disagreeing with his brother’s voting record—even as Eugene voted against Trans rights, and even as Alexander has readily criticized other politicians.
A white male candidate with a history of anti-Muslim bigotry and genocide denial. A spouse with a history of anti-Black attacks on Black elected officials. A brother whose voting record is further right than 75 MAGA Republicans. And a campaign that—rather than make its case on policy and merit—attacks, demeans, and dismisses the accomplished Black woman running against him.
MAGA Republicans have already committed to being the party of white supremacy. Democrats must not do the same. The Vindmans have shown us who they are. We should believe them. Because here’s one more fact the Vindmans hope voters don’t realize.
He Won’t Debate Her. That Alone Should Disqualify Him.
Here is something Alexander Vindman does not want Florida Democratic primary voters to focus on: he has refused to debate Angie Nixon.
When asked on camera why he will not debate Nixon, it took him less than 30 seconds to give a non-answer, make an excuse, and have a staffer interfere while he turned his back and walked away.
This is cowardice. And it is cowardice with consequences—not just for his campaign, but for the Democratic Party.
Primary debates give voters the tools to make informed decisions. They create the kind of substantive comparison that drives enthusiasm, builds coalitions, and ultimately determines which candidate is best equipped to win in November. It lets voters know that even if their top candidate did not win, the democratic process played out and now its time to unite. By refusing to debate Angie Nixon, Vindman is not just avoiding accountability—he is depressing Democratic turnout, suppressing voter enthusiasm, and deliberately preventing Floridians from critically examining his record. He is telling Angie’s sizable support base that they do not matter.
The Polling Supports Angie over Alexander
Also devastating to Alexander Vindman’s campaign is that polling shows that Angie Nixon performs better than him against Republican Ashley Moody in the general election. So for the Democrats who obsess over electability—Angie Nixon is your most electable candidate.
Fact is, if Alexander Vindman actually believes his stated goal of flipping Florida blue, then the data demands he step aside and get behind Angie Nixon. Or, at minimum, lead with dignity and make his case transparently in a debate. Instead, Vindman is running on name recognition alone—coasting on the credibility he earned nearly a decade ago when he testified against Trump—all while refusing to engage with the voters, the issues, or the opponent standing in his way.
Using celebrity and name recognition as a campaign strategy instead of policy and accountability is one of the reasons we despise Trump. And running to the center, as Vindman is, rather than towards the needs of working people, is a tactic that’s repeatedly failed. Janet Mills in Maine ran to the center—she lost. Raja Krishnamoorthi in Illinois ran to the center—he lost. Haley Stevens in Michigan ran to the center and took $60 million in AIPAC money—she lost.
The lesson is not complicated. Running toward corporate money and centrist positioning does not win. Running toward what working people actually demand—economic justice, universal healthcare, an end to endless war—does win. The polling on Nixon versus Moody is proof. Vindman either does not understand this or does not care. Neither option is acceptable.
On Policy—There Is No Contest
And finally, let me make the policy comparison that Vindman refuses to make in a debate.
Angie Nixon supports universal healthcare as a human right. She champions a living wage. In this climate crisis especially, she demands a moratorium on data centers devastating working communities. Angie loudly demands an end to funding Israel’s genocide. And she has passed critical gun safety legislation as a Florida state lawmaker—not theoretical positions, but actual laws she fought for and won.
Alexander Vindman’s website reads like a Republican moderate’s platform—boilerplate policy language that in many cases is verbatim what a center-right candidate would argue. He is mediocre, absent, or flat out refuses positions on universal healthcare, ending the genocide, climate justice, and economic accountability for corporations. He moved to Florida three years ago. He has refused to debate. He has run a campaign of dismissal and insults rather than engagement and vision.
And oh yeah, his wife mocks Black women’s shoes on social media.
What Vindman Gets Right—And Why It Is Not Enough
And lest someone allege I don’t see the good in people, I am happy to give credit where due. Alexander Vindman’s testimony during the first Trump impeachment was courageous. He put his career and his safety on the line to tell the truth to Congress. I commend that service.
And, can we all agree that courage in 2019 does not purchase a lifetime exemption from accountability in 2026? It certainly does not license him to move to Florida, run as a Republican-lite, refuse to debate his life long Floridian primary opponent, deny genocide, demonize Muslim Americans, and campaign through his wife’s racist attacks on an accomplished Black woman.
During his 2019 testimony, Vindman repeated the phrase “truth matters.” I agree. But does he still believe it? If so, then he should have the integrity to debate Angie Nixon, to publicly apologize for the horrific way his wife and his campaign have treated one of the most accomplished lawmakers in Florida, and to let Florida voters make an informed decision.
He has done none of those things. And that is indefensible.
Florida, This Is Your Moment
In closing, remember this. Angie Nixon is a lifelong Floridian. She was born in Florida, elected in Florida, has put her safety on the line by protesting DeSantis and getting arrested in Florida, and has spent her career fighting for Florida’s working families.
What she did not do is parachute in from out of state with name recognition as a substitute for policy.
Angie is right on universal healthcare. Right on climate. Right on ending the genocide and never ending wars. Right on economic justice. Right on gun safety—with the legislative record to prove it. She is people-funded, principled, and prepared to fight for Florida in the general election against Ashley Moody.
And best of all, Angie is polling better against Moody than the man who mocked her through his wife’s social media account and then refused to stand across a debate stage and make his case.
The primary is August 18th. Early voting opens by August 8th.
Florida Democrats have a chance to do something historic. You have a chance to send a change agent to the general election who can actually flip this state blue. Not by running to the center. And not by trading on a decade-old moment of courage while demonstrating current moral failure. But instead, by running toward working people, toward justice, toward the kind of bold politics that the moment demands.
Angie Nixon is that leader. And the time is now.
Vote Angie Nixon for US Senate by or before August 18th.
And if you can, support her campaign financially—because she is running the kind of people-funded campaign that the Democratic Party desperately needs more of.
Qasim Rashid is a human rights attorney, author, and host of Let’s Address This—a platform dedicated to human rights, accountability, and the people-powered politics that corporate media ignores. Subscribe, share, and let’s remain relentless in our mission for a more perfect Union.
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Your writing on the Vindmans was very helpful. I had been supporting both as Democrats whose lives and careers had been shredded by Trump- the only qualifier I used. Thanks to your Addressing This, Angie is clearly the one to support! Thank you!!!
The Florida Democratic Party and chair Nikki Fried are owned by AIPAC. Grassroots candidates are getting drowned out by the AIPAC funded candidates. If Vindman is elected, he will be another Fetterman. Ms. Nixon has my vote.