Former Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback announced this week that he will be running for president in 2028.
Former Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback announced this week that he will be running for president in 2028. Fishback previously entered Florida’s 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary in November 2025. He presented himself as a conservative outsider focused on affordability and immigration. The investment executive founded Azoria and established student debate nonprofit Incubate Debate. His gubernatorial proposals included restricting corporate home purchases and restricting employment visas. He also advocated eliminating property taxes and opposing data centers.
Those positions distinguished Fishback from other Republicans seeking to succeed term-limited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. President Donald Trump endorsed Congressman Byron Donalds instead of Fishback. The Republican primary also featured Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins and Paul Renner. Donalds won the August Republican primary with ease over Fishback and all of the other candidates. Ballotpedia reports Fishback received 173,575 votes, representing approximately 10.4% of Republican primary ballots. Donalds received 796,267 votes, or approximately 47.9%, in the primary. Collins finished second with approximately 25.1% in the crowded contest.
Nevertheless, Fishback’s gubernatorial campaign website now describes the election as finished while promising another chapter. Republican voters have largely decided who they want to support for president in 2028, while a large plurality of Democrats remain undecided. Vice President JD Vance has emerged as the early leader, while nearly half of Democratic primary voters remain undecided about who should represent their party after President Donald Trump leaves office, according to a new New York Times/Siena University poll.