James Fishback
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James Thomas Fishback (born January 1, 1995) is an American investor and political candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2026 Florida gubernatorial election.
Fishback worked for hedge fund Greenlight Capital from 2021 until 2023. He founded Azoria Partners, an investment management firm that later launched an ETF before it was shut down by the company's independent trustees over legal concerns. In the summer of 2025, Fishback made attempts to associate himself with President Donald Trump, falsely claiming to have been an advisor at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and later launching an unsuccessful campaign to be nominated to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. In November 2025, Fishback launched a campaign for the Republican nomination for Florida governor.
Fishback has been involved in various legal disputes. In 2022, the Broward County School District cut ties with him and a debate league he ran following allegations that he sexually groomed an underage girl while running in-person debate tournaments for middle and high school students that she participated in. Fishback denied the allegations and threatened to sue the parents who made them, but later moved in with and was briefly engaged to her after she turned 18. In 2023, Fishback initiated a dispute with his former employer, Greenlight Capital, regarding his job title; the dispute culminated in Fishback's 2025 admission that he had illicitly shared and used confidential Greenlight information.
Quotes
[edit]- You should be lynched.
- Answered to a black person on a question regarding allegations that Fishback had a sexual relationship with a 17 year old girl, quoted in "‘You should be lynched’: Florida GOP governor candidate faces backlash over slur to Black voter" AL.com (April 3, 2026)
- I respect President Trump, but if he brings 500,000 Chinese students to Florida colleges, I will raise tuition on them to $1,000,000/year. As Governor, I refuse to let the limited admission spots at our taxpayer-funded colleges be stolen by foreigners.
- "Trump Just Hit a Pathetic New Low" The New Republic (May 18, 2026)
