Far-right Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback got crushed in the Republican primary on Tuesday evening.
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CNN and NBC News project the overwhelming winner of the primary is Byron Donalds, a congressman who ran the campaign with President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Fishback, a hedge fund manager, has persisted on the campaign trail despite consistent polling showing he lagging far behind Donalds. His run was bolstered by a cult following of younger GOP voters and online influencers, as well as Nick Fuentes, the leader of the neo-Nazi “Groyper” movement.
Throughout the campaign, Fishback became known for his reaction-provoking antics. He called Donalds, who is Black, a “slave” and said he would turn Florida into a “Section 8 ghetto.” When one Black observer asked him about allegations he engaged in inappropriate behavior toward women, Fishback said he “should be lynched.”
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He also faces a lawsuit from a high school debate champion who claims his company stiffed her out of promised scholarship money.
Donalds enters the general election as a favorite, as Republicans have continually held the governor’s mansion in Florida since the late 1990s.
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