Republican Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback told a Black man who confronted him on the campaign trail that he should be lynched.
Yes, you read that right.
Lynching is the process of extrajudicial murder by mob, usually by hanging. Throughout U.S. history, Black people have been the most frequent victims of lynchings by white mobs.
The comment occurred after Fishback was confronted about previous allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct with an underage girl in 2022, resulting in a Florida school district severing ties with him. Fishback has denied the allegations.
As he berated the man for bringing up the allegations, Fishback repeatedly said, “You should be lynched.”
This is not the first time that Fishback has made a comment like this. After the Trump administration arrested journalist Don Lemon—who is Black—for reporting on an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest at a Minnesota church, Fishback praised the clear violation of the First Amendment.
“Don Lemon should be lucky that he's not getting executed in the public square for his little stunt, his violence, his aggression,” Fishback told the far-right American Family Association during a podcast.
Journalist Don Lemon was arrested for reporting on an anti-ICE protest in Minnesota, leading Fishback to declare that he “should be lucky he’s not getting executed.”
Fishback has also made racist comments about his fellow GOP gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Byron Donalds—who is Black—calling him a “slave” to donors, saying that his worldview is a “Section 8 ghetto,” and referring to him as “By’rone.”
As part of his far-right campaign, Fishback has also gone after women and has proposed a “sin tax” for OnlyFans creators.
Fishback is the most prominent of a new and growing segment of the right that aligns itself with the antisemitic, racist, and misogynistic “groyper” movement. He is also a supporter of white supremacist podcaster Nick Fuentes, who opposes immigration, women’s rights, and free expression.
Fishback is not an outlier. This far-right movement, which builds on the bigoted ideology of the Trump administration, continues to make inroads within the GOP. For example, newly appointed head of the College Republicans, Kai Schwemmer, is also a devoted Fuentes follower and has made pro-slavery comments and voiced opposition to women’s right to vote.
A gubernatorial candidate telling a Black man that he should be lynched is just the latest example of what the future of right-wing politics looks like—and it looks eerily like the darkest parts of U.S. history.
