With the backing the Florida Republican establishment and friendship of President Donald Trump, it would seem that Rep. Byron Donalds would be an easy win for the next Republican nomination for governor of Florida. Donalds has high visibility on Fox News, where so many retired Floridians see him, seemingly nightly.
But the addition of James Fishback to the mix of Republican gubernatorial candidates has added a real question mark. Fishback is only 31, and does not have great resources. But what he does have is a fearlessness to raise any issue, and step in any controversy, to get through his main issue, which is about the affordability of the state for its next generation.
He identifies himself as a “Fourth-generation Floridian running to succeed Ron DeSantis as Florida’s next Republican Governor to make life more affordable.” Republican candidates who have officially declaredother than Donalds include former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, entrepreneur James Fishback, and Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett. Potential Republican contenders who have not yet filed paperwork include Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, First Lady Casey DeSantis, and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz.
On the Democratic side, declared candidates include former Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly, running as a Democrat, and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. Independent candidates include former Democratic state Sen. Jason Pizzo and former Orlando mayoral candidate Moe Dimanche. Other Democrats, such as U.S. Rep. Al Lawson and state Rep. Angie Nixon, have been mentioned as possible contenders.
After Fishback’s annoucement that he would run, he was faced with criticism about his relationships with students in a school debate charity, and the viability of his firm Azoria. He pushed quickly back on X.com, and the issue disappeared. His positions counter the version of Florida as a financial capital, and aim to turn back the clocks, a bit.
- BREAKING: I’m running to succeed Ron DeSantis as Florida’s next Republican Governor to make life more affordable for you and your family. I’ll stop the H-1B scam, tell Blackstone they can’t buy our homes, cancel AI Data Centers, and abolish property taxes.”
He will seemingly raise every non-discussable issue, including eliminating teaching certificates (he wants actual retired Floridians to teach), taking property tax to zero and cutting benefits for aliens. During an interview with Tucker Carlson, he also talked about the decline of the citrus industry.
““The peak of our citrus industry was the 2005 harvest — two hundred and thirty million boxes of citrus,” said Fishback. “This last season, only 14 million. … What used to be a small movie theater is now a Dollar General, what used to be a family-owned grocery store is now some weird, perverted liquor store… Citrus was Florida. It was on the license plate.”
Fishback even stepped into the sacrosanct “Israel” debate.
Florida deserves a real race to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is extremely popular with Republican voters. While everyone does not agree on what DeSantis has done outside the party, DeSantis has approached his job with a love for Florida, and a determination to act. DeSantis has also approached every day with extreme energy; his calendar is packed. Through hurricanes, DeSantis provided decisive, masculine leadership that gave all comfort.
There are idealogical strands that are important in a Florida governor’s race, but once that issue is decided, what needs to drive the candidate is an ability to lead what amounts to a nation. After all, Florida’s economy is massive, ranking as the world’s 15th largest by GDP (around $1.7 trillion in 2024/2025), comparing it to Spain or Australia, and placing it just behind South Korea and ahead of nations such as Indonesia and Mexico.
— Peninsularis, A Floridian
On Florida, its past and its future
