Democrat Jennifer Jenkins announced she is stepping out of Florida's U.S. Senate race to back Alexander Vindman.
"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," Jenkins wrote on X.
The move comes just two days after Vindman, the former National Security Council aide who played a key role in President Donald Trump's first impeachment, announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination.
Jenkins, a former Brevard County School Board member, announced her candidacy last September.
"I am stepping out of this race, but I am not stepping out of the fight. This is a moment for us to unite and to focus on what's right and to do what it will take to defeat Ashley Moody," Jenkins said in a video statement. "We need to bring decency and sanity and affordability back to the state of Florida. That’s why I am so proud to endorse Lt. Col. Alex Vindman for the United States Senate."
"Alex is building a campaign that is putting Florida back on the map, and I will do everything that I can to help him succeed," Jenkins added.
Jenkins' departure might be surprising to some Democratic voters, given that she welcomed Vindman to the race and appeared to signal she wasn't going anywhere in a social media post just days ago.
"The campaign we’re building is about fighting with urgency to make Florida a place that everyone can afford and where extremism has no home. Florida needs a new generation of leadership that understands what it costs to live here now and knows how to win the fights that matter for the future," Jenkins wrote.
That changed quickly.
With Jenkins out, the race for the Democratic nomination is currently between Vindman and Rep. Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville), who announced her candidacy last week.
The Democratic Senate primary is Aug. 18. The winner will likely take on U.S. Ashley Moody (R), who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.
