Plant City native Ashley Moody will become Florida’s next attorney general.
Moody (REP) received the support of 52.3% of Floridians while her Democratic opponent, Sean Shaw, received 46% of the votes. More than 4 million Floridians voted for Moody and she had the backing of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as well as 43 of Florida’s sheriffs.
“I will always remember that it is not about me, it is about you and ensuring that at the end of the day, I will defend the rights that ensure that you are in charge,” Moody said in her victory speech Tuesday night.
When Moody was elected to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in 2006 she was the youngest judge in Florida. While there, she created an attorney ad litem program that would connect volunteer lawyers to children whose parents didn’t show up to court.
She is also a former federal prosecutor, private attorney and adjunct law professor and has touted the fact that she was the only candidate with prosecuting experience on the campaign trail.
Her roots in Plant City are deep and set the stage for her draw toward law. James S. Moody, her grandfather, served in the state legislature and was a judge in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court. James Moody Jr., her father, is a federal judge. Her brother, James S. Moody III, is a lawyer. During her victory speech, she shared a story of watching her mother, Carol Moody, lug giant law books to her practices and games as she simultaneously earned her law degree while raising her family.
“All I ever wanted in this world was a normal mother, and I have said many times over the course of this campaign, thank goodness for my mother who set an example for me that I could do this as a mother and run a statewide campaign,” Moody said.
Moody is the mother of two children and joked that while many believe she is prepared for the job because of her background as a prosecutor and judge, her experience as a travel baseball mom is really what has set the stage for her new career.
Throughout her campaign, Moody discussed her plans to tackle the opioid epidemic in the state and vowed to fight for law enforcement. Her husband, Justin Duralia, is an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration so both issues strike close to home.
Moody has said she is “100% pro-life” and she has also been a vocal supporter of increasing security along the border. Notably, she has vowed to be dedicated toward cracking down on human trafficking, which is a major issue for Florida.
Multiple sheriffs, including Hillsborough’s Chad Chronister, and current Attorney General Pam Bondi spoke at Moody’s victory party Tuesday night. Though there was much excitement leading up to the speech, the atmosphere the night of the watch party was relatively calm as polls had indicated Moody would more than likely be walking away with a victory.