Republican politicians and party leaders are increasingly trying to stifle the candidacy of insurgent James Fishback, whose run for Florida governor has focused sharp criticism and vitriolic attacks at those in charge.
Over the course of two weeks, the Republican Party of Florida uninvited Fishback from its major candidate forum in Broward and the sitting lieutenant governor — also seeking the governorship — sued Fishback in order to disqualify him from the race.
The public drama highlights the messy struggle underway to inherit the title of Republican successor to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The frontrunner is Congressman Byron Donalds, who has a double-digit lead in the polls, an endorsement from President Trump and the backing of institutional state Republican figures.
Yet Fishback, an investor originally from Davie, has energized disenchanted young male voters with promises to ban artificial intelligence data centers, return the state to an undeveloped paradise he calls "Old Florida," outlaw abortions and curb benefits to immigrants.
At a counter-programming rally in Fort Lauderdale last weekend — the same day as the "Sunshine State Showdown" he was uninvited from — Fishback said his candidacy was about taking on the left wing and the right wing of "that same corrupt bird."
"On Aug. 18, I am asking you, I am begging you, to give me a 12 gauge shotgun to shoot that bird out of the sky," he said to cheers.
Days before, the state's GOP said it uninvited Fishback from the showdown event due to both procedural reasons and his history of racist and anti-semitic attacks.
Fishback has been critical of U.S. aid to Israel, and the role of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) influence in politics, but also has been criticized for using anti-semitics terms, like "goyslop."
Fishback has called Donalds — a Black Republican — "a slave" to corporate donors, a DEI Republican and nicknamed him "By'rone."
Those remarks earned him a rebuke from the likes of Attorney General James Uthmeier, a hardline Florida Republican.
"They say we're a threat, and we absolutely are. Mark my words, I will burn down the Republican establishment as it stands," Fishback said on Saturday.
His success has led him to replace Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, in second place in the polls behind Donalds.
Days after the rally, Collins filed suit against Fishback in Leon County.
He alleged that the Broward-native has not lived in Florida long enough to meet the seven-year residency requirement to run for governor.
Records and news reports indicate that Fishback lived and voted in Washington, D.C. in the last six years.
"We can't afford to play games with Florida's Constitution that would end up handing the Governor's Mansion to Democrat David Jolly," Collins wrote in a press release.
In response, Fishback posted what appears to be his Florida drivers' license from 2016 online, and hosted a press conference outside his childhood home in Davie. He accused Collins of acting on behalf of Donalds.
Copyright 2026 WLRN