James Fishback, the candidate who placed third in Florida’s GOP gubernatorial primary, has been widely criticized for his campaign tactics and controversial statements.
With nearly all votes counted, Fishback trailed second-place finisher Jay Collins by a margin of almost 23 percentage points. The candidate ultimately secured only 10.5 percent of the vote, far behind winner Byron Donalds’ 47.8 percent.
In an interview with Nathan Taylor Pemberton, Rick Wilson, a disgraced former GOP operative and Lincoln Project co-founder, described Fishback as the future of Republican politics.
Fishback, a former high school debate coach, has faced multiple allegations including antisemitism, performative racism, and past misconduct. He was accused of using “grooming” tactics when he was 27 years old to initiate an inappropriate relationship with a student. Additionally, his Tesla was repossessed after he failed to pay $1.3 million to a hedge fund that claimed he stole confidential data.
The candidate’s campaign included interactions with far-right figures such as Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes, and he gained attention for using antisemitic terminology like “goyslop” on the trail. Fishback has also been linked to online communities including those of influencers Clavicular and Sneako.
Despite these associations, Fishback’s campaign was widely criticized by both major parties. His results in Florida are a stark contrast to the success seen by left-wing candidates in Democratic primaries, where Angie Nixon, an Israel-obsessed state lawmaker aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, upset establishment-backed Alexander Vindman.
The candidate’s low vote share is comparable to the hypothetical support for “Deez Nutz,” a satirical presidential candidate created by a 15-year-old Iowa resident in 2015.