Investment banker Fishback announces GOP bid for Florida governor, challenging Trump ally Donalds

Azoria investment bank co-founder and CEO James Fishback announced Monday that he is running in the 2026 Republican primary for Florida governor.

President Trump has already backed GOP Rep. Bryon Donalds for the post. The winner of the general election will replace GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, who must retire from the post because of term limits.

Trump endorsed Donalds in February, before the congressman even officially announced his candidacy, stating that Donalds would work closely with his administration on "America First" policies. 

Fishback, who lives in the panhandle region of the state, immediately took shots at Donalds' congressional record in his campaign video, and pledged to eliminate property taxes and H-1B visas.

“If a Republican politician supports the H-1B scam that fires our workers, he can’t be our next governor," Fishback said. "If he goes out and supports the building of AI data centers that threaten our electric bills and our water supply, he can’t be our next governor. And if he goes to Congress and does nothing for us but makes millions of dollars trading stocks for himself, he can’t be our next governor.

Donalds' campaign pushed back on Fishbacks' candidacy, touting his endorsement from the president, who won the state in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 general elections. However, DeSantis is also popular in Florida.

“Byron Donalds will be Florida’s next governor because he is the proven conservative fighter endorsed by President Trump,” Ryan Smith, chief strategist for Donalds’ campaign, told the Associated Press. “Anyone running against him is an anti-Trump RINO and will get crushed in the Republican primary.”

Florida's Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is also reportedly considering a run for governor next year, and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner is also running in the GOP Primary.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.