Conservative Crash-Out: Byron Donalds Vs. James Fishback

Two Republican governor candidates who previously spoke at the University of Florida (UF) have been going head to head with each other.

In November 2025, Byron Donalds spoke at UF in what the Alligator called "UF Turning Point’s largest [event] since Charlie Kirk visited campus in February [2025]." The outlet reported that Donalds "said his political critics are using his name to gain 'clout' and 'aura farm.'"

In February 2024, James Fishback wrote an opinion column for the Alligator, reporting, "Last year, the student-run UF Association of Latino Professionals for America [(ALPFA)] invited me as a guest speaker. I spoke to over a hundred UF students, answered their questions and shared career advice. I enjoyed my time on campus, but it turns out that my visit inadvertently became a test of the UF administration’s commitment to free expression. Unfortunately, they failed. On Aug. 23, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) wrote a scathing public letter to UF General Counsel Amy Meyers Hass after discovering that she ordered the ALPFA to delete their Instagram post related to my visit. Why? Because my billionaire ex-boss David Einhorn demanded it."

The feud between Fishback and Donalds recently reignited, but social media posts and news articles indicate the two have a bitter history.

In November 2025, the Miami Herald reported on Donalds giving a speech where he warned of the "woke right." His comments came soon after Fishback announced his candidacy and took shots at Donalds.

On February 20, Fishback attempted to confront Donalds at a Turning Point event at Gulf Coast University where Donalds was speaking. Two police officers prevented Fishback from entering the building. Fishback alleged they were acting under Donalds' orders.

Fishback has frequently made posts online to poke fun at Donalds or criticize him for not going far enough to the right, such as calling him "pro-choice" for not committing to an outright abortion ban as he does.

Further, Fishback has garnered attention for calling Donalds a "slave to donors."

In January, Fishback reposted a tweet tagging Donalds showing a clip of his interview with Tucker Carlson, in which Carlson reacted to Fishback calling Donalds "AIPAC Shakur" to call out his sizable campaign funds from the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

When Donalds was speaking at Gulf Coast, during Q&A, a student asked if he would divert $350 million Florida has invested to Israeli bonds back to investments for the people of Florida.

Donalds said he wouldn't because Israeli bonds carry a higher return compared to U.S. treasury.

The student brought up Fishback saying if he was elected governor he would divert Israeli investments into grants helping married families to purchase homes.

Donalds called the notion the "Kamala Harris plan" and discouraged the idea.

On February 21, Fishback announced that he accepted an offer from Fox to debate Donalds.

Soon after, Donalds responded to Fishback, saying his opponent is in favor of "government handouts" before stating, "Tell everyone the truth - six months ago in Madison County, you had me face-to-face on stage for an hour. You could have asked me anything. You had a lapel mic on and recorded the whole thing. Be a man and release the tape."

In response to Donalds, Fishback called him an "adulterous former drug dealer who took $45 million from AIPAC and from a hedge fund billionaire [John Paulson] in the Epstein files."

Donalds hasn't indicated he wants to accept Fishback's challenges to debate.

On February 23, Fishback further pressed Donalds for his ties to Paulson, saying he should return a $25,000 donation from him due to his mentions in the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Currently serving as an elected representative for Florida's 19th Congressional District, Donalds has retained endorsements from Turning Point USA, three dozen county sheriffs, President Donald Trump and other prominent Republican leaders.

An investment firm CEO, Fishback lacks political endorsements from household names but has garnered political support, retaining endorsements from Florida Congressional Candidate Aaron Baker and State Board of Education member Daniel Foganholi.

Fishback is critical of the Israeli lobby while also holding popular Republican views like the opposition to firearm ownership restrictions and property taxes. Fishback has also called for expelling all minors attending public schools without American citizenship, saying he would challenge their 14th Amendment Right to do so.

In Donalds' response to Fishback, he accused his opponent of anti-semitism and said he got his "gimmick" from Nick Fuentes. Fuentes is a far-right live-streamer who has denied being a white nationalist but has said he is a "white person" who is "conscious" of his "white identity" and "nationalism."

Fishback appears to be supportive of Fuentes' views, telling Tucker Carlson that white Christian men are the only targets of systematic racism in the U.S. Fishback has called "the great replacement and white genocide" issues in the U.S. that Republican politicians won't talk about.

There are also allegations contained within an attempted civil stalking injunction that Fishback groomed a 16-17 year-old girl when he was 26-27 while she was a member of his Incubate Debate organization. The petitioner, who filed the claim last year, said Fishback "directed" her to "maintain the secrecy of their relationship, demonstrating his awareness of the impropriety of pursuing a romantic relationship with a minor under his professional supervision and instruction."

Court documents from the case also accuse Fishback of domestic violence.

The court ultimately denied the petitioner's attempt for an injunction, noting Fishback may be "perhaps a little obsessive compulsive, but he did not initiate contact with the petitioner directly or indirectly for no direct purpose."

Fishback told the Florida's Voice news that “False accusations are sadly all too common today. The court in Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit reviewed these egregious accusations, conducted two lengthy hearings, and fully exonerated me. I have never been arrested or charged with any crime unlike my opponent Byron Donalds.”

The Florida's Voice reported, "[The petitioner] is now an adult and the allegations in the court documents were made while she was an adult. The public records highlight the age difference and alleged secrecy during the initial phase of the relationship. When Florida’s Voice pressed Fishback for a statement regarding the relationship with a minor, he would not provide additional comment beyond the statement above."

NBC News reported on email records that showed officials of the Broward County School District were aware of Fishback's inappropriate relationship with the later-petitioner. "The Broward County School District said that when it was made aware of the allegations... it cut ties with Fishback and his organization," NBC News reported.

Fishback responded by making posts on social media showing emails he got from the Broward County School District dated to 2024 and 2025, while the district reportedly told NBC News they cut ties in 2022 after becoming aware of the allegations.

Regarding Donalds' criminal record, according to a report by Notus, "After his marijuana arrest in 1997, a Florida court granted Donalds a 'pre-trial diversion,' which [offers] some offenders alternatives to jail. Law enforcement arrested Donalds on a charge of distributing weed, not just possessing it, although Donalds maintains he wasn’t distributing... In 2000, Donalds pleaded no contest to a felony larceny charge. He was sentenced to two years of probation, and a court later expunged his record."

Although not legally criminal, the allegations against Fishback are far more recent. On the other hand, Donalds does have a criminal record, but it dates back to his late teens and/or early 20s. However, Donalds has held a friendship and prior political partnership with Larry Wilcoxson, who has been arrested on a multitude of offenses, including child molestation.

According to a report by the Florida Trident, police and court records show "Wilcoxson has been charged with armed robbery, aggravated battery, misdemeanor battery, and grand theft auto in Collier County over the years, beginning with the armed robbery arrest when he was 14-years-old growing up in Immokalee... From 1997 through 2000, he was charged with multiple crimes, including a forgery and stolen credit card case for which he took a plea deal and was sentenced to probation; a firearm charge on college grounds for which he was never formally charged (he said the charge was false); a petit theft arrest that he won at trial, and a charge of criminal mischief that was dropped... [In 2006], police alleged Wilcoxson molested a 13-year-old student when he was working as a substitute teacher at a middle school in Indianapolis. Initially held on $100,000 bond, Wilcoxson said the case 'mentally and physically hurt' him so much that he considered taking a gun to the police department... The charges were ultimately dropped for unknown reasons. Wilcoxson denied he molested any children and claimed police set him up in part because he was related to Edgerrin James, the Hall of Fame NFL running back who was a star for the Indianapolis Colts at the time. And he said he was the victim of racist cops."

Records show that Donalds has paid Wilcoxson and his business Wilcoxson Consulting well over $100,000, with compensation coming to a halt in March 2025. The Daily Beast reported in late July 2025 that Wilcoxson "confirmed he will no longer consult for Donalds, saying that he has chosen to focus on things other than politics."

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