Fishback has said that he does not hold animus against Jews, but ran a campaign defined by his opposition to Israel.
He pledged that as governor he would divest state funds from Israel, called the University of Central Florida’s cafeteria food “goyslop” and signed a “contract with Florida” that he would reject money from the pro-Israel group Aipac.
Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) speaks alongside other members of Congress from Florida about the indictment of the former President of Cuba, Raúl Castro, during a news conference in the US Capitol on May 20, 2026 (Getty Images)Getty Images
Donalds, meanwhile, is staunchly pro-Israel and has previously described the Jewish state as America’s closest ally in the region.
In November, he will face off against David Jolly, a former Republican congressman, who won the Democratic primary.
Elsewhere, there was a win for Representative Randy Fine, who is Jewish and is extremely vocal in his support for Israel, to the extent of controversy over social media posts regarding the Gaza War in which he wrote “kill them all” and said the Strip “must be destroyed”.
He has insisted those posts referred to Hamas terrorists and not Gazan civilians.
Fine beat out influencer Dan Bilzerian, who ran an explicitly antisemitic primary challenge and has previously denied the Holocaust.
An AI-generated video Bilzerian posted on Thursday asked whether the US should “revisit that Austrian painter’s opinions” over an image of Adolf Hitler and included footage of Fine wearing a yarmulke and growing horns.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic races, Jewish lawmakers Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jared Moskowitz claimed the candidacy for their respective districts, both defeating challengers who have accused Israel of genocide in Gaza.
After Republican-led redistricting earlier this year significantly altered the Florida congressional map, Moskowitz ran in the 25th Congressional District previously held by Wasserman Schultz, who opted to run in the plurality-black 20th Congressional District.
That district has been vacant since former congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned in April after federal indictments for fraud.
Cherfilus-McCormick continued to contest the race following her resignation and was joined in opposing Wasserman Schultz by Dale V.C. Holness, a former mayor of Broward County; Elijah Manley, a self-described democratic socialist and convert to Judaism; and Luther Campbell, a rapper who led the popular 1980s hip-hop group 2 Live Crew.
In the 25th, Moskowitz defeated Oliver Larkin, the only candidate in Florida endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Democratic US Senate candidate Angie Nixon waves as she is introduced to the congregation at the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on August 17, 2026 Nixon (Getty Images)Getty Images
Only one of the candidates linked to the DSA, which counts New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez among its members, came away with a nomination, with Florida state representative Angie Nixon defeating former National Security Council aide Alex Vindman in the Senate primary.
Vindman, who played a role in the first impeachment of President Trump, outraised Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, $16.3 million to $975,888 through July 29 and was considered the favourite to walk away with the nomination.
But Nixon, running on a platform of universal health care and a $ 25-an-hour minimum wage, became the latest far-left candidate to win a Democratic primary over a more moderate opponent.
A month after October 7, Nixon introduced a resolution in the Florida legislature calling for an end to the fighting in Gaza.
Earlier this month, she attended a rally in Florida headlined by Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), one of Israel’s sharpest critics on Capitol Hill and, during the campaign, she touted the fact that she did not receive support from Aipac.
Nixon will face Republican Senator Ashley Moody, who filled the seat that Marco Rubio vacated when he became US Secretary of State, in November. The Cook Political Report calls Moody a strong favourite for re-election.
