TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican investor and political newcomer James Fishback officially entered Florida’s 2026 governor’s race Monday, promising an aggressive affordability agenda while launching pointed attacks at frontrunner Rep. Byron Donalds and the “political establishment” he says is failing Floridians.
Fishback, 30, filed his candidacy in Tallahassee and released a launch video outlining what he calls a “bold affordability platform” centered on housing costs, wages, immigration, and opposition to artificial-intelligence data centers. He cast himself as a conservative outsider running to “make life more affordable for you and your family.”
“I’m running for Florida Governor to make life more affordable for you and your family,” Fishback said in his announcement. “Hardworking Floridians should be able to buy a home, raise a family, and retire with dignity.”
A Platform built on populist appeals
Fishback’s agenda includes several sweeping proposals:
- Blocking AI data centers, which he says threaten Florida’s water supply and could drive up electric bills.
- Stopping the “replacement” of American workers with H-1B visa holders, a key attack line against both tech companies and Donalds.
- Preventing Blackstone, Airbnb, and foreign buyers from buying Florida housing, arguing that “our homes are for families.”
- Abolishing property taxes on homesteaded properties, saying “in America, you don’t rent your home from the government; you own it free and clear.”
The candidate frames his run as a continuation of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ conservative legacy, pledging to keep Florida free from “DEI, radical transgenderism, Soros-backed prosecutors, child predators, voter fraud, and the millions of illegals who invaded our country on Kamala Harris’ watch.”
Direct shot at Donalds'—And Trump’s inner circle
Fishback used his launch to escalate a week-long barrage of attacks on Donalds, former President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate in the GOP primary.
“Congressman Byron Donalds can’t be our next governor because he won’t fight for Florida,” Fishback said. “I will.”
He also criticizes Donalds over past support for H-1B visas, enthusiasm for AI data centers, and what Fishback terms “making millions of dollars trading stocks in Congress.”
But his campaign is launching amid new scrutiny of Fishback’s own political trajectory.
A complicated political history
An ABC News investigation published ahead of his announcement detailed a series of episodes that have raised eyebrows within Trump-aligned circles:
Lobbying Trump for a Federal Reserve Board seat: ABC reports Fishback made persistent private appeals to the former president and his advisers, calling Trump directly and circulating a memo touting himself as a potential “bulldog fighter” on the Fed. Multiple sources told ABC he exaggerated his chances and helped spark a news cycle suggesting he was under consideration, though senior officials say he never was.
Tensions with prominent MAGA voices: Fishback has recently clashed publicly with Donalds supporters and even with Trump-world figures he previously courted, behavior some advisers described as puzzling.
Questions about past credentials: Fishback has faced allegations of overstating his ties to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his role at Greenlight Capital, his former employer, which accused him in a lawsuit of misrepresenting himself as “Head of Macro.” Fishback denies wrongdoing and says political opponents are fabricating smears.
Investment concerns: A Trump-aligned strategist told ABC he ultimately declined a $25,000 investment after concluding Fishback’s Azoria fund proposal raised red flags. Two Azoria ETFs were later liquidated following “recent litigation involving a principal of” the firm, an action Fishback dismisses as politically motivated “de-banking.”
Telling ABC, one Trump adviser summed up the confusion circulating in conservative circles: “A lot of people are just asking themselves, who the hell is this guy?”
Fishback argues the scrutiny proves he’s a threat to entrenched interests. “Clearly, Byron Donalds and his D.C. establishment backers see me as a threat,” he told ABC. “They should.”
Positioning as an outsider
Fishback calls himself a fourth-generation Floridian and “anti-establishment political outsider.” He highlights his role as founder and CEO of the investment firm Azoria and his creation of Incubate Debate, a free Florida high school debate league that’s expanded statewide since 2019.
He also points to past clashes with Wall Street and a Supreme Court brief defending then-President Trump’s authority to fire federal officials.
He says he’ll take a grassroots approach to campaigning.
“In the coming months, I’m going to meet as many Floridians as I can, where they live, work, and pray,” Fishback said. “I’ll visit all 67 counties because Florida’s next governor has to be someone you can see, talk to, and even debate with.”
His announcement ends with a populist call to arms: “Florida is our home. America is our birthright. And we will never let them steal it from us.”
A primary getting even more crowded
Fishback’s entrance adds new volatility to an already complex Republican primary. Donalds holds Trump’s endorsement. Gov. Ron DeSantis has not endorsed a successor and remains in the background weighing his influence. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is widely rumored to be considering a run. Casey DeSantis, the First Lady, has been repeatedly floated by GOP insiders. Former House Speaker Paul Renner has entered the race. Once-rumored candidate Matt Gaetz says he’s focused on his TV show, though hasn’t fully ruled out a run.
With Fishback now officially in, he becomes the latest challenger attempting to pry the GOP base away from the Trump-Donalds alliance. That’s even as he fends off skepticism from MAGA figures he once sought to impress.
The 2026 governor’s race is expected to be among the most watched, and most expensive, in the country.
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