U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon on why she always wears pink

EXCLUSIVE: As her national profile grows, Nixon discusses her signature style, political branding, and the scrutiny facing Black women candidates.

For better or worse, Angie Nixon is having a moment in politics. After her upset win for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Florida on Aug. 18, the national profile of Nixon, a state representative, has significantly expanded as she hits the pavement and the news waves, campaigning to Florida voters less than two months before Election Day.

Beyond her progressive policy positions, many observers of Nixon’s campaign will notice that the U.S. Senate hopeful is always sporting the color pink.

Whether it’s the pink jumpsuit and accompanying pink bullhorn she used on the floor of the Florida House of Representatives while protesting Republicans’ redrawing of the state’s congressional maps, diluting the voting power of Black and brown Floridians, or a pink blazer or accessory, it has instantly become a noticeable signature color.

As the New York Times notes in a recent style piece, Nixon’s use of bright pink serves as “visual shorthand” and is a clever “branding tool.” The outlet points out that pink has emerged as a distinguishable color for Democratic women, from former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wearing a fuchsia pink dress during her 2019 swearing-in, to thousands of women sporting “pink pussy hats” at the Women’s March in 2017 in opposition to Donald Trump’s first term as U.S. president.

But while experts try to decode Nixon’s repeated use of pink in her fashion choices, the U.S. Senate candidate tells theGrio she chose the color for one simple reason: “I decided to wear pink because it stands out.”

Nixon said contrary to what some may believe, she doesn’t even like the color pink, telling theGrio, “Blue is actually my favorite color.”

The use of the color pink dates back to the 42-year-old lawmaker’s first Florida state House race in 2020. Nixon selected pink and yellow as her campaign colors.

“I chose it because I wanted my signs, I wanted my campaign literature to just stand out more than the typical red, white, and blue. And guess what? It did,” Nixon shared.

The Florida Democrat said she is now noticing more women in politics incorporate pink in their branding and logos, joking to theGrio, “I guess you can say I’m a little trend setter!”

Nixon explained, “It was just about standing out so that people could know who I was.” The strategy has worked so much so that whenever someone sees her in any color other than pink, they sometimes don’t recognize her.

“They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t know that was you. I thought you were gonna have on pink,'” she recalled.

But while Nixon’s color choice has helped bring her newfound attention, her campaign’s visibility has also resulted in racist and sexist attacks. As theGrio previously reported, conservative firebrand and an ally of President Trump, Laura Loomer, called Nixon and several other prominent Black women in politics, “ghetto Black bitches.”

“This is not the first time I’ve had people during this electoral cycle have referred to me and my style of speech or how I look, or how I dress. This wasn’t the first time that they disparaged me in a racist way, and so it’s just frustrating,” Nixon told theGrio.

However, Nixon is taking the good with the bad, as she has also received an increase in campaign funding since becoming the Democratic nominee.

“We’re inching up close to $3 million raised since we won the primary. We’ve gotten more attention,” she said.

While that newfound attention has come with “hate,” Nixon said she is focused on the bigger picture.

“We’re in a battle for the humanity and the soul of our country. I am OK with being at the forefront, on the front lines of it, but it does suck at times,” she shared. “But it is what it is…I wish it wasn’t normalized, but I just have to continue to push through and push forward.”