Fishback suffers loss in Florida race: What it tells us about his brand of Conservatism
By Easton Martin | August 19, 2026
Rep. Byron Donalds was victorious in Florida’s Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday, defeating a crowded field that included conservative activist James Fishback and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins.Donalds won approximately 48 percent of the Republican vote, putting him well ahead of Collins at roughly 25 percent and Fishback at about 10 percent.
This victory sends Donalds into the November general election against Democrat David Jolly.
The result also offered a significant test of the growing influence of online conservative politics in Republican elections. Fishback built a national profile through an aggressive social media presence and a brand of conservatism aimed heavily at younger and highly engaged voters online.
His campaign promoted itself as a continuation of the conservative movement that reshaped Florida under President Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
But the primary results suggest that Fishback’s influence online did not translate into comparable support among Republican voters statewide. Fishback entered the race with momentum among portions of the conservative grassroots. Polling earlier in the campaign showed him capable of seriously challenging Donalds.
One June survey had Donalds at 37.3 percent and Fishback at 26.7 percent, while a hypothetical head-to-head matchup showed Donalds leading Fishback by less than three percentage points.
As the campaign progressed, however, Donalds maintained his advantage. A July Republican primary survey found Donalds at 43 percent, compared with 12 percent for Fishback. The same survey found that Donalds was known by roughly three-quarters of Republican voters, while 69 percent had either never heard of Fishback or had no opinion of him.
That gap in name recognition proved difficult for Fishback to overcome. Donalds also benefited from the advantages of being an established elected politician with a statewide political network and the endorsement of President Trump. His campaign focused heavily on issues such as affordability and property taxes while maintaining his alignment with Trump’s political movement.
Perhaps the results speak just as much to the movement which Fishback aligns with as it does to him as a candidate. Fishback has aligned closely with the disenchanted right, marked by their “America First” principles, such as opposing Israeli influence in U.S. politics, the infiltration of mass surveillance systems, and other hot button issues. While this movement has been gaining traction online, nothing seems to be materializing in the form of elected officials.
