'We will not be intimidated': Republican gubernatorial candidate claims his house was target of arson attack in Florida



While James Fishback, a Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate, has seen a good deal of campaign success since the launch of his campaign in late November, he has also seen a great deal of resistance — and potentially intimidation.

On Sunday night, Fishback's campaign alleged that a fire was "intentionally set" near his house, where he and his team were working.

'I'll be hosting a rally in my own backyard tomorrow night.'

Emma Wright, Fishback's campaign manager, posted an official statement less than an hour after the alleged incident.

"Shortly after 5:50 p.m. on Sunday, a fire was intentionally set in his side yard and began spreading toward his home, where Mr. Fishback and members of his staff were working. We are grateful to the Madison County Fire Rescue for their swift response and for containing the fire before it damaged his home," the statement read.

RELATED: Young GOP outsider takes aim at Trump-endorsed candidate in campaign launch to replace Gov. DeSantis in Florida

Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images

Fishback's campaign also condemned political violence of any kind, stressing that it has "no place in America."

Fishback quote-tweeted the statement from his campaign manager, adding, "My team and I are okay."

In a post that has since received 560,000 views, Fishback provided some photos of the scene, including what appears to be a burned area of a yard with the fire department on the scene.

Fishback followed up with a few more posts in the hours following the alleged attack, including an invitation to an unconventional rally.

"I'll be hosting a rally in my own backyard tomorrow night," he wrote just hours after the alleged incident on Sunday. "We will not be intimidated."

Shortly thereafter, he added an invitation to his house for a "backyard rally." The invitation included what appears to be his home address in Madison, Florida. The rally will be held on Monday night.

Blaze News reached out to Madison County Fire Rescue for comment. The Fishback campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

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Young GOP outsider takes aim at Trump-endorsed candidate in campaign launch to replace Gov. DeSantis in Florida



Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds' bid to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) just received another challenge from a fellow Republican.

On Monday morning, James Fishback, founder and CEO of investment firm Azoria, officially launched his bid for the governor's seat in 2026.

'Congressman Byron Donalds can't be our next governor because he won't fight for Florida like Ron DeSantis has.'

In a campaign launch video posted on X, Fishback, 30, says he will "stop the H-1B scam, tell Blackstone they can't buy our homes, cancel AI Data Centers, and abolish property taxes."

"Nowadays, not all Republicans are the same. If a Republican politician supports the H-1B scam that fires our workers, he can't be our next governor," he said in the video.

RELATED: Republican turncoat announces Democrat bid for Florida governor’s seat

Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

"Congressman Byron Donalds can't be our next governor because he won't fight for Florida like Ron DeSantis has."

Fishback emphasized his outsider status in the campaign video: "I'm not a politician. I'm an investor and a businessman."

Fishback promised to visit all 67 counties in Florida in the coming months because "Florida's next governor has to be someone you can see, talk to, and even debate with."

"Florida is our home; America is our birthright; and we will never let them steal it from us," Fishback's website reads.

Fishback's X profile emphasizes making Florida affordable for families.

Fishback is also the founder of the Incubate Debate, an organization that encourages middle and high school students to debate and equips teachers with a no-cost "Teacher Toolkit."

Donalds, who currently represents Florida's 19th district in the U.S. House and has received Trump's endorsement in the Florida gubernatorial race, has consistently led Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican, in early polling.

Fishback joins a very crowded gubernatorial race, with over 30 candidates having already filed.

Blaze News reached out to Fishback's campaign but did not immediately receive a response.

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Video: 'Hamilton' actress maligns Ron DeSantis as Ku Klux Klan grand wizard during Tony Awards to giddy applause



Broadway actress Denée Benton besmirched Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a Ku Klux Klan grand wizard during Sunday night's 2023 Tony Awards. The insult garnered giddy applause from the audience celebrating their fellow Broadway thespians.

The 76th Annual Tony Awards, also known as the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, were held on Sunday at the United Palace theater in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood.

Benton was presenting the 2023 Excellence in Theater Education award to Jason Zembuch Young of South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida.

"Hi. I'm Denée Benton, actor, and proud [Carnegie Mellon University] alum. Earlier tonight, CMU and the Tony Awards presented the 2023 Excellence in Theater Education Award, and while I am certain that the current Grand Wizard – I'm sorry, excuse me, governor of my home state of Florida..."

The "Hamilton" actress was interrupted by a resounding applause from the audience, which was jubilantly celebrating that the Republican presidential hopeful was disparagingly labeled as a leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

Benton continued by urging DeSantis to change the name of Plantation, "I am sure that he will be changing the name of this following town immediately, but we were honored to present this award to the truly incredible and life-changing Jason Zembuch Young, [for] enhancing the lives of students at South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida."

Benton did not specify how DeSantis is like a leader of the white supremacist organization that is notorious for carrying out terrorism and acts of violence against blacks, immigrants, Jews, and other minority groups.

The town of Plantation was incorporated as a city on April 23, 1953, far after the days of the Antebellum South, with slavery and plantations.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel explains the origins of the town of Plantation:

If it hadn’t been for a sick 2-year-old boy who loved grapes and pumpkins, this town — and perhaps all of Broward County west of State Road 7 — might still be swampland. According to his 1972 biography, Plantation’s founder, Frederick C. Peters, came to South Florida from St. Louis because a doctor told him his second son, Lewis, would probably get healthier in a warmer climate. A corpulent, deeply religious family man who was one of the heirs to a vast shoemaking empire, Peters bought 10,000 acres of swampland west of Fort Lauderdale for $25 an acre in 1941.

The outlet provides suggestions on how the town got its name:

There are a few theories about how Plantation got its name. According to one account, in the early 1900s, two Miami farmers made plans to grow small rice plantations. The plan failed miserably, but the label it gave to the area — “the plantation” — stuck. Another premise is that the original developers of the area advertised that every home would sit on a single acre, informally called small plantations.

The town of Plantation has no direct historical link to slavery.

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\u201cOn the Tony Awards on CBS, actress Denee Benton announces award for outstanding HS theatre teacher. She wisecracked "I am certain the current Grand Wizard -- I'm sorry...governor of my home state of Florida" (wild screams, applause) will rename the town Plantation, Florida.\u201d
— Tim Graham (@Tim Graham) 1686535158

Woke hypocrites at Disney are expanding the company's dealings in 10 countries with explicit anti-gay laws



The Walt Disney Company is expanding its operations in at least ten explicitly anti-gay countries and regions.

This move comes despite the company’s insistence on laundering LGBT+ narratives into content for children in the United States and its commitment to repealing Florida’s recently passed — and widely supported — “Parental Rights in Education” law.

This past Tuesday, the transnational entertainment titan announced that it would be launching its eponymous streaming service, Disney+, in 42 new areas in Europe, Asia, and West Africa from May to June of 2022.

Nearly a dozen of the places where Disney+ will soon be offered have strict anti-gay laws.

These places include the countries Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, Tunisia, Yemen, and the region of Palestine.

It is not specified whether Disney is expanding its services to both territories considered to be “Palestine,” the Western Bank, and the Gaza Strip, as both are officially governed by the Palestine Liberation Organization.

In many of the entities to which Disney will soon be extending its services, homosexual acts are often punished with lengthy jail sentences, hard labor, and exuberant fines.

In countries like Saudi Arabia, where there is no formalized criminal code, homosexuals and transgender individuals are punished in far more draconian ways. These punishments include expensive fines, chemical castrations, and executions.

In Yemen, homosexuality is punishable by death.

Disney also recently announced that it would be creating a bevy of LGBTQ+-focused content for Disney+. This is move has come under increased scrutiny after the corporation proclaimed its indignation over Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law.

Disney explicitly stated that it is dedicated to getting the law “repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts” while mischaracterizing the law as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

In a statement made after Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law, Disney said, “Florida’s HB 1557, also know as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law. Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.”

Statement from The Walt Disney Company on signing of Florida legislation:pic.twitter.com/UVI7Ko3aKS
— Walt Disney Company (@Walt Disney Company) 1648488131

Disney also sails its cruise ships to the Southern Caribbean island countries of Antigua, Dominica, and St. Maarten. All three of these destinations have legally banned gay marriage, and in Antigua and Dominica people can face several years in prison for engaging in homosexual activity.

The Walt Disney Company also continues to grow its business in China despite what the Guardian reported as the country banning depictions of gay people on television.

Ron DeSantis signs curriculum transparency and school board term limit bill into law



On Friday, Republican Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law establishing term limits for members of Florida’s school boards and giving Florida residents increased access to educational materials available to students.

Prior to singing HB-1467 into law, echoing his longstanding commitment to the rights of parents, DeSantis said, “We believe parents not only have a role, they have the fundamental role to be involved in the education of their kids, and that’s how it’s going to be in the state of Florida,” WFTV-ABC in Orlando reported.

A press release from the governor’s office indicates that the new law places 12-year consecutive term limits for members of school boards in the sunshine state and “requires school districts to be transparent in the selection of instructional materials, including library and reading materials.”

The press release stated that “As a part of the Year of the Parent, this legislation aims to preserve the rights of parents to make decisions about what materials their children are exposed to in school.”

DeSantis said, “In Florida, our parents have every right to be involved in their child’s education. We are not going to let politicians deny parents the right to know what is being taught in our schools. I’m proud to sign this legislation that ensures curriculum transparency.”

Wilton Simpson, the President of the Florida Senate, said, “While teachers, school administrators, and school board members have a tremendous amount of authority over what and how our kids are taught in school, at the end of the day, parents — not schools — are responsible for raising children.”

He continued, “Florida parents are seeking greater involvement in many aspects of our education system, and this legislation speaks to that effort. The books our kids are reading in schools need to have proper vetting. Parents have a right, and a responsibility, to be involved in that process. Not all books are appropriate for every grade level. This legislation makes sure that we have a transparent and consistent process for public participation in the review of books and other materials used in school lessons and in the school library.”

“Governor DeSantis has shown time and time again that he is not afraid to fight for the rights of parents and understands the importance that they have a seat at the table when it comes to their child’s education,” the Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said. “I’m grateful for the Governor’s guidance and the voices of many parents, who have come forward and demands that parents be seen as a partner in their child’s education.”

This new law requires school districts in Florida to hold public meetings for the purpose of selecting instructional materials and provide the public with ample notice of when and where the meetings will be held.

It also stipulates that the school districts must provide access to all materials no-less than 20 days before the school board takes official action on proposed instructional material.

The state Department of Education is also compelled by law to publish a list of materials that have been removed or discontinued by the school board and disseminate the list to school districts within the state.

Florida ADL rebukes Democrat Nikki Fried for comparing DeSantis to Hitler



The Florida chapter of the Anti-Defamation League rebuked Nikki Fried, the state's Democratic Agricultural Commissioner and a candidate for governor, after she compared her would-be Republican rival Gov. Ron DeSantis to Hitler.

In a social media post, the Florida Anti-Defamation League said Fried's comments were "offensive."

"While public officials may have disagreements over policies, comparisons to the Holocaust and Nazism are inappropriate, offensive, and trivialize this unique tragedy in human history," ADL Florida said.

"It's vital for all public officials to challenge each other based on the substance and merits of the issue at hand and not invoke comparisons to Hitler or Naizism. We will be reaching out to [Nikki Fried] to discuss our concerns," the group added.

It's vital for all public officials to challenge each other based on the substance and merits of the issue at hand and not invoke comparisons to Hitler or Nazism. We will be reaching out to @NikkiFriedFL to discuss our concerns.
— ADL Florida (@ADL Florida) 1642362368

The rebuke comes after Fried likened DeSantis to a "dictator" on a radio talk show last week. She accused the governor of "doing everything possible to take away power from local governments, taking away people's abilities to protest, making it harder to vote, talking about ... banning books."

"I'm sorry. I'm a student of history too. I saw the rise of Hitler," Fried said on NPR's Florida Roundup.

Her comments startled the host, who asked her to clarify what she meant.

"Are you comparing DeSantis to Hitler?" the host asked.

"In a lot of ways, yes," Fried doubled down.

She cited DeSantis' proposal to revive the Florida State Guard, just like 22 other states, as an example of how he supposedly is an authoritarian acting "for the sole purposes of his power."

"Do I think that we're going to get to the extent of Hitler's power? Of course not," Fried said after the host mentioned that some people might find her comments offensive. "But the rise of his power and what he did to scapegoat certain parts, especially the Jewish community in Germany, and how he utilized going after the media, going after and scapegoating people ... that's what this governor is doing."

After the interview, DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw slammed Fried and said her take was "as offensive as it is absurd."

"With this hysterical comparison, Fried not only smears millions of Floridians as Nazis, but also trivializes Hitler's crimes against humanity," Pushaw said.

But on Twitter Sunday Fried was unrepentant.

"Ron DeSantis and his anti-democratic demagoguery is a danger to our state, our country, and yes, the world," she wrote. "Choose your own historical example if you want, but it's the damn truth."

Ron DeSantis and his anti-democratic demagoguery is a danger to our state, our country, and yes, the world. \n\nChoose your own historical example if you want, but it\u2019s the damn truth.
— Nikki Fried (@Nikki Fried) 1642354247

It should be noted that "demagoguery" is defined as "political activity or practices that seek support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument." An example may be comparing your political opponent to Hitler or Nazism to stir up voter prejudices instead of making a rational argument against his policies.

Florida's Freedom Fighter: Can Ron DeSantis Save America? | Glenn TV | Ep 159
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Florida's Freedom Fighter: Can Ron DeSantis Save America? | Glenn TV | Ep 159

Gov. DeSantis: Voters are flocking to Florida, ‘overwhelmingly’ registering as Republicans — including former Democrats — because of COVID lockdowns



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) says that many voters are relocating to Florida and "overwhelmingly" registering as Republicans as a result of the draconian lockdown measures that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a Wednesday night town hall event on Fox News — hosted by Sean Hannity and featuring other prominent Republican governors — DeSantis also said that voters are also switching their party affiliation from Democrat to Republican after having fled from blue states.

What are the details?

DeSantis said in his town hall remarks that COVID-19-related lockdowns over the last year of the pandemic have turned many Democrats into Republicans and have bolstered the state's population.

Governors from Arizona, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Tennessee — also in attendance at the event — said that they were seeing an uptick in political migration.

"Florida is seeing a huge impact of migration out of the — out of these blue states," Hannity began. "Now, my only fear for all of you — and I'll let you start first, Gov. DeSantis — is that they may bring their liberal policies with them."

DeSantis responded, "So, it's interesting with Florida. Like the media at the beginning of [the pandemic] said Florida's bad. And I think it's because they want to damage [former President Donald] Trump in Florida. They want to damage me. So, they just kept saying it was bad. And even though the facts didn't say it, like literally last April, they're saying Florida is doing worse than New York. New York was like 10 times worse.

"And so," he continued, "I think what it did is the people that buy those phony narratives for these media, they probably aren't coming to Florida. But most people see through it. But the people that see through it, they think like us. And so, I think a lot of these people are coming. I think they are registering as Republicans overwhelmingly."

He added that he has also come across many people across the state who were once Democrats, "but the lockdowns turned them into Republicans."

"People say, I was a Democrat because of education, and I'm in California and they're locking my kids out of school," he explained. "I come to Florida, they're in school. People are free. People are happy."

He concluded his remarks, "I think this whole process has caused some people to reevaluate some of their prior commitments. And if you have a political party that puts the interest of teachers unions over the interest of kids being able to just access an education at all, that tells you all you need to know about the modern Democrat Party."

Florida’s @GovRonDeSantis: “If you have a political party that puts the interests of teachers unions over the inter… https://t.co/ylZ3Mt1ymb

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) 1622111530.0

What else?

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) issued a similar statement to that of DeSantis.

“[Former President Ronald] Reagan said if the pilgrims landed in California they would have never discovered the rest of the country," Ducey said. "Nobody leaves California because they want to."

He continued, “The lack of opportunity is pushing them out."

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) added that people — including Democrats — are largely unsatisfied with blue states' responses to the pandemic.

“I think people across the country are looking around, unsatisfied, in many states with life in particular," Lee explained. "The health crisis is over. The emergency is over. We have fully opened up, and we're moving our state forward."

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) added that her state saw an increase in relocation as Americans became more and more disenfranchised with Democratic leaders' response to the pandemic.

“What's happened during this pandemic has allowed us to tell our story," she said. “Thousands of people are moving to our state, and when you ask them they say they want to live somewhere where the government respects them, they want to live somewhere where they can be free."

Iowa Gov.Kim Reynolds (R) pointed out that her state implemented a "robust data program" by zip code in order to monitor areas across the state in which outbreaks would be more prevalent, which she said helped keep the economy open as much as possible during the pandemic

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) also said that it was easy to see that "every governor had to write their own playbook based on what [they were] seeing."

GOP governors rip liberal power grab in 'Hannity' exclusive | Town Hallwww.youtube.com

As BLM Pushes To “Defund the Police,” Ron DeSantis Announces Their Worst Nightmare
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As BLM Pushes To “Defund the Police,” Ron DeSantis Announces Their Worst Nightmare

DeSantis slams Biden's idea of reinstating lockdowns as 'insane,' vows no more shutdowns in Florida



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted President Joe Biden's threat of potentially reinstating coronavirus shutdowns. DeSantis promised that he would not put the Sunshine State back in coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.

During Biden's address to the nation on the one-year anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the president warned that the United States could reestablish shutdowns if Americans "don't stay vigilant."

"Unity is what we do together as fellow Americans, because if we don't stay vigilant and the conditions change, then we may have to reinstate restrictions to get back on track," Biden said on Thursday.

"Please, we don't want to do that again. We've made so much progress," Biden added. "This is not the time to let up, just as we were emerging from a dark winter into a hopeful spring and summer is not the time to not stick with the rules."

DeSantis, who was one of the first U.S. governors to reopen his state, bashed Biden's notion of reinstating lockdown measures.

"To even contemplate doing any type of lockdown, honestly it's insane," DeSantis said during a press conference in Florida.

DeSantis then promised the residents and businesses that he would not close the state because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"That's not gonna happen in the state of Florida," the Republican governor of Florida said. "We're gonna continue doing what works, but under no circumstances would we entertain anything of the sort."

Gov. Ron DeSantis calls Biden's plan insane youtu.be

DeSantis also declared that the age for eligible recipients of the coronavirus vaccine would decrease to age 55 this month.

"We will be doing 55 this month for sure," DeSantis said, but did not provide an exact date. The age for vaccine recipients will drop to age 60 on Monday, according to the Florida Times-Union.

Previously, DeSantis ripped Biden last month over his coronavirus hypocrisy of floating a potential domestic travel ban on the state of Florida, while simultaneously welcoming untested immigrants at the U.S. southern border. DeSantis labeled Biden as a "lockdowner."

Biden was also slammed for telling Americans that they might be allowed to gather in "small groups" by the Fourth of July. During his first prime-time speech, Biden said

"If we do all this, if we do our part, if we do this together, by July the Fourth, there's a good chance, you, your families and friends will be able to get together in your back yard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day," Biden said in his speech. "That doesn't mean large events with lots of people together, but it does mean small groups will be able to get together."

Biden was mocked by many online for "not understanding what Independence Day means," and one person stated, "We live in a free country, we can see our loved ones before July 4th, any time before and any time after."