Former school board member Jennifer Jenkins challenges Ashley Moody for a US Senate seat in Florida

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Democratic former school board member who garnered attention for defeating a future cofounder of Moms for Liberty announced her 2026 bid for the U.S. Senate in Florida on Wednesday.

Jennifer Jenkins made headlines when she unseated Tina Descovich on the Brevard County School Board in 2020 in a southeast Florida county that President Donald Trump had carried by nearly 20 points.

Now Jenkins is challenging Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who faces a special election to hold on to her seat after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to fill the office vacated by Marco Rubio, who was tapped by Trump to become secretary of state.

"Ashley Moody doesn’t know what it’s like to struggle paying for food, housing, health care and day care. But I do," Jenkins said in a campaign launch video.

“I’m fighting for my family and for all the families in Florida who work hard, fight harder, and won’t quit when the chips are down,” she added.

A speech pathologist turned political activist, Jenkins rose to prominence for her defense of pandemic-era public health precautions and inclusive education policies in schools, at a time when conservative parental rights activists were inflaming school board meetings with aggressive complaints about COVID-19 measures and instruction on systemic racism and gender identity in the classroom.

Jenkins drew national attention when she was targeted by protesters angered by the district's policies who flocked to board meetings and gathered outside her home. Jenkins said she faced a stream of threats and that her property was vandalized and a false report of child abuse was filed against her.

In launching her Senate bid, Jenkins said she will counter what she described as “MAGA extremists,” working to lower the cost of living, protect access to health care and ensure every Floridian has the “freedom to thrive.”

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Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.