PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — James Fishback is running for Florida governor.
“I’m running for governor to eliminate your property tax bill,” he said during an appearance on “This Week in South Florida” Sunday.
Fishback is a Republican and political newcomer. He’s a Davie native and a businessman who has gained steam online amid some controversial comments.
The 31-year-old has been accused of using antisemitic and racist language, and was asked about it by TWISF host Janine Stanwood.
“In both of these cases (of alleged racist remarks), you’re talking to Black people and you’re using the word ‘slave’, and ‘lynched’. Is that intentional?” asked Stanwood.
“What’s intentional is Byron Donalds took $104 million from some of the largest out of state donors in this country, people like Mark Zuckerberg gave him $5 million cause they wanna build data centers in Broward, Dade county,” Fishback replied.
Congressman Byron Donalds is the frontrunner in polling and fundraising, and is endorsed by Donald Trump, but according to the RealClearPolitics average, Fishback is a top contender.
He has received 9% of the vote, though still trailing by a large margin.
Fishback has been kept out of the state republicans’ key political events, including June’s Sunshine State Showdown.
The state party explained that he took part in an unsanctioned debate and attacked his fellow Republicans.
“The only people I think I’ve ticked off are Byron Donalds and his consultants,” Fishback said.
Fishback has centered his campaign around eliminating property taxes and banning all data centers from coming to Florida.
He says voters don’t care about his controversies.
“Genuinely I’ve never had a voter come up to me and complain about my language, because voters are not considered about my vote choice, they’re considered about how they’re gonna pay their electricity bill,” he said.
The Republican primary election is set for Aug. 18, with the winner facing the Democratic nominee on Nov. 3.
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