Regional Highlight: James Fishback for Governor of Florida

James Thomas Fishback connects with students at the University of Florida during his campaign.

On November 24, 2025, James Thomas Fishback announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2026 Florida gubernatorial election.

Throughout his campaign videos, Fishback has consistently challenged Byron Donalds, another frontrunner in the Republican primary. Donalds is a U.S. representative endorsed by President Trump. Fishback has been critical of Donalds for accepting donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and has pledged to refuse contributions from foreign-aligned organizations. Among his criticisms of U.S. foreign policy toward Israel, Fishback has called the Western Wall visits made by American politicians "stupid."

Education is a central pillar of his platform. Fishback supports requiring school uniforms in all of Florida's public schools. In one campaign video, he stated: "I will mandate that every single high school student, in order to graduate, gives a five-minute speech in front of their class with no notes on who their favorite president is and why." He believes the ability to speak publicly without notes is an essential skill in the modern workplace.

On higher education, Fishback has proposed dramatically raising tuition for international students at Florida's public universities to $1 million on his first day in office, with the stated goal of prioritizing in-state students.

One of his most-viewed campaign videos focuses on content creators. Fishback proposes a 50% tax on all OnlyFans income, citing Florida residents like Sophia Rain as examples of who would be subject to the tax. He has stated his intention to use that revenue to increase public school teacher pay and improve school lunches across the state.

On economic policy, Fishback has been described as an economic populist with a strong emphasis on affordability. He supports banning investment firms such as BlackRock from purchasing homes in Florida, and proposes relocating homeless individuals into treatment and services facilities. He has cited New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as an influence on his affordability focus, though he disagrees with Mamdani on most other points. One area of agreement: Fishback supports paid maternity leave.

On immigration, Fishback has called for abolishing the H-1B visa program and has proposed a complete pause on immigration to the United States.

Fishback has also expressed strong support for public transportation, including the revival of Amtrak service. In one video he stated: "Say what you want about Joe Biden, he understood the importance of Amtrak." While he disagrees with Biden on nearly everything else, he has commended the former president on that specific issue.

What Comes Next?

The Republican primary is scheduled for August 18, 2026, with the general election to follow on November 3, 2026. With five months to go, Fishback continues to grow his profile rapidly as a political candidate. How far that momentum carries him remains to be seen.