GOP investor James Fishback enters Florida governor race against Trump‑backed candidate

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA: The race to succeed Ron DeSantis officially heated up as Republican investor James Fishback launched his gubernatorial bid on Monday, November 24, positioning himself as a direct challenger to President Donald Trump’s chosen successor, Rep Byron Donalds.

Fishback, a 30-year-old investment firm founder and self-described "anti-woke" activist, wasted no time in attacking the frontrunner, labeling Donalds a "s***e" to corporate interests in a fiery announcement that has already drawn sharp rebukes from the Trump-aligned wing of the party.

While Fishback attempted to frame himself as the true heir to the DeSantis legacy, polls show that he faces an uphill battle against Donalds, who commands a massive lead thanks to the president's "Complete and Total Endorsement."

James Fishback attacks Trump's pick

In a move that stunned political observers, Fishback used his launch to hurl insults at Donalds, who would be Florida's first Black governor if elected.

"Byron Donalds is a s***e. I'm sorry, he's a s***e," Fishback told reporters, claiming that the Congressman is beholden to "tech bros" and corporate donors.

"He is a s***e to the corporate interests... He wants to turn Florida into Dubai, Singapore or Hong Kong," he added.

The inflammatory rhetoric was accompanied by an announcement video where Fishback declared, "I'm a proud American who will never apologize for our history," followed immediately by a close-up shot of a Confederate monument in Jackson County.

Byron Donalds' camp crushes James Fishback's challenge 

Donalds' campaign immediately dismissed the attacks, framing Fishback as a desperate outsider trying to fracture the party.

"Byron Donalds will be Florida’s next governor because he is the proven conservative fighter endorsed by President Trump," said Ryan Smith, chief strategist for Donalds' campaign.

Smith didn't mince words about Fishback's standing in the MAGA movement. "Anyone running against him is an anti-Trump RINO and will get crushed in the Republican primary," he declared, signaling that the party base was firmly behind the president's pick.

Recent polling reportedly backed up this confidence. A survey by 'The American Promise' found Donalds dominating the field with 58% support among voters who knew of Trump's endorsement, while Fishback languished at just 1%.

James Fishback claims he will 'fire every single H-1B'

Fishback is running on a platform of economic nativism.

He pledged to "fire every single H-1B" visa holder working in state agencies on his first day, attacking the legal immigration program that allows US companies to hire skilled foreign workers.

"Florida is our home, America is our birthright, and we will never let them steal it from us," Fishback said.

He also promised to eliminate property taxes entirely, a proposal critics argued would destabilize the state's budget, further distinguishing his allegedly burn-it-down approach from Donalds' more measured, Trump-aligned economic agenda.