Angie Nixon says ‘dog whistle’ comments by JD Vance aim to divide and distract

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon said comments made about her by Vice President JD Vance were disrespectful. But as a Black person, she said she’s heard similar comments before. “What’s frustrating at times is that we’re kind of used to it in the South — the disrespect, being Black people, the microaggressions, and the slights, the ‘Oh you speak so well’ or ‘you’re so articulate,’ the little slights here and there,” Nixon said. “But you know, he’ll be calling me Senator on Nov. 3.” Nixon addressed the comments at the Pumps, Pearls and Politics event in Miami Gardens organized by U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson in collaboration with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Gamma Zeta Omega chapter. Nixon is currently running against Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, and would be Florida’s first Black U.S. Senator. During a fireside chat, journalist Don Lemon asked Nixon about Vance’s recent comments at a campaign event in Lakeland. “When Angie Nixon calls herself a socialist, I think the right response is to say, ‘Then get the hell out of here. You don’t belong in America,’” Vance said at the Lakeland rally, as reported by WLRN. Nixon has addressed the remarks before, but in an event organized by Black women, she discussed the impact of the “dog whistle” attacks on the broader community. She suggested the attack was rooted in racism and used intentionally to divide Americans. “They know that they are failing the American people, and they want us arguing and fighting amongst our neighbors because it keeps our eyes off of the fact that they are trying to actively implement Project 2025,” she said. “They want to end Social Security as we know it. They want to defund public schools so that they can usher our children into the school-to-prison pipeline, so that they can make more money off of them and exploit their labor.” She also said the current administration was playing off of racial anxieties in the country. “They are fearful because they see this new rising majority of people, and it’s so diverse and it’s so beautiful, and they’re not used to that. And honestly — I have said this a time or two — they’re fearful that if this new, darker group of people come into power, that we’re going to do to them what they’ve done to many of us for hundreds of years,” she said. “But the reality of it shows us that when we come into power, when marginalized communities and people come into power, they lead with love. They lead with dignity. They lead with honor and respect. So it’s really going to be important for many of our allies in this fight to become like accomplices, and they need to have really tough, uncomfortable conversations with many of the folks in their community to let them know there’s nothing to fear.” Nixon also took a couple of swipes at Vance directly. “Some things that I cannot share tonight went through my mind immediately,” she said. “But also just knowing that they’re using that as a distraction, they are really scared if they deploy the vice president down here and his eyeliner to talk about me.” The post Angie Nixon says ‘dog whistle’ comments by JD Vance aim to divide and distract appeared first on Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..