Florida Primary Delivers Big Wins for Pro-Israel Candidates

Florida Primary Delivers Big Wins for Pro-Israel Candidates

MIAMI (VINnews) — The American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Tuesday congratulated 21 candidates it identified as pro-Israel who won their primary elections in Florida, including several who defeated candidates opposed to the U.S.-Israel alliance. Among the winners were Republican Sen. Ashley Moody and Reps. Aaron Bean, Gus Bilirakis, Kat Cammack, Mario Diaz-Balart, Randy Fine, […]

Pro-Israel Candidates Sweep Florida Primaries as Voters Reject Anti-Israel and Far-Right Challengers

Pro-Israel candidates from both parties scored major victories across Florida on Tuesday, with Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds, Republican Rep. Randy Fine and Democratic Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jared Moskowitz all defeating opponents who had made hostility toward Israel a prominent part of their campaigns. Donalds easily captured the Republican nomination for governor, positioning himself to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis while dealing a decisive defeat to James Fishback, whose campaign drew attention for its outreach to the “groyper” movement associated with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. With 87% of ballots counted, Donalds had received 762,364 votes, or 48.3%, while Lt. Gov. Jay Collins was a distant second with 393,248 votes, or 24.9%. Fishback finished third with 163,261 votes, or 10.4%. The Associated Press called the Republican gubernatorial contest for Donalds roughly an hour after polls closed. Fishback has denied harboring hostility toward Jews, but his campaign was heavily focused on opposition to Israel and was also marked by repeated racial jabs at Donalds, who is black. Among other proposals, Fishback promised to remove Florida state investments from Israel and signed a “contract with Florida” pledging not to accept money from the pro-Israel group AIPAC. He also referred to food served at the University of Central Florida as “goyslop” and repeatedly called Donalds “By’rone,” apparently seeking to make his first name sound more stereotypically black. Donalds, by contrast, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and has previously characterized the Jewish state as the United States’ closest ally in the Middle East. The Republican congressman will now advance to the November general election, where he will face David Jolly, a onetime Republican congressman who secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Republicans also rejected an explicitly antisemitic challenge to Jewish Rep. Randy Fine, who comfortably retained the GOP nomination for his House seat against social media personality Dan Bilzerian. With 87% of ballots counted, Fine had 42,898 votes, or 56.8%, compared with Bilzerian’s 13,816 votes, or 18.3%. Bilzerian, who has approximately 29 million Instagram followers and has previously denied the Holocaust, made antisemitic rhetoric a central feature of his campaign. Days before the primary, Bilzerian posted an AI-generated video asking “should we revisit that Austrian painter’s opinions” alongside an image of Adolf Hitler. The video also depicted Fine wearing a yarmulke while horns appeared to grow from his head. The video prompted widespread condemnation from Republicans, Democrats and Jewish organizations. The Republican Jewish Coalition celebrated the results, praising Fine for defeating a “neo-Nazi” and Donalds for overcoming “one of the most openly bigoted campaigns in recent memory.” “James Fishback spent this race trafficking in vile racism and antisemitic filth,” stated Matt Brooks, CEO of the coalition. “He peddled antisemitic conspiracy tropes to his supporters while courting the endorsement and praise of white nationalist Nick Fuentes.” “Dan Bilzerian did not merely flirt with antisemitism. He made Jew-hatred the entire premise of his campaign,” Brooks said. “Tonight, the Republican voters of Florida’s 6th District stood up to this fanatic and buried Bilzerian’s hateful campaign in the dustbin of history where it belongs.” On the Democratic side, two prominent Jewish and pro-Israel members of Congress also survived challenges from candidates who have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jared Moskowitz each won their respective Democratic House primaries despite major changes to Florida’s congressional map resulting from Republican-led mid-decade redistricting. The new boundaries prompted Moskowitz to seek reelection in the 25th Congressional District, which had previously been represented by Wasserman Schultz. She instead moved to the predominantly black 20th Congressional District, a seat left vacant when Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned in April after being federally indicted on fraud charges. Despite leaving Congress, Cherfilus-McCormick remained a candidate in the Democratic primary. Wasserman Schultz also faced former Broward County Mayor Dale V.C. Holness; Elijah Manley, a self-described democratic socialist and convert to Judaism; and Luther Campbell, the rapper best known for leading the 1980s hip-hop group 2 Live Crew. All four of Wasserman Schultz’s primary opponents are black. With 99% of ballots counted, Wasserman Schultz led the field with 29,759 votes, or 45.6%. Holness finished second with 14,985 votes, or 22.9%, followed by Manley with 9,059 votes, or 13.9%. Cherfilus-McCormick received 5,997 votes, or 9.2%, while Campbell finished with 5,520 votes, or 8.4%. Moskowitz, meanwhile, faced Oliver Larkin in the Democratic primary for the 25th District. Larkin was the only Florida candidate to receive the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America. With 91% of ballots counted, Moskowitz held a commanding advantage with 27,584 votes, or 63.5%, compared with Larkin’s 15,867 votes, or 36.5%. Republicans also held a competitive primary for the 25th District. With 91% of those ballots tabulated, Scott Singer led with 11,603 votes, or 31.3%, while George R. Moraitis was second with 10,162 votes, or 27.4%. The November outlook differs significantly for Florida’s two Jewish Democratic incumbents. The Cook Political Report currently considers Moskowitz’s newly configured 25th District a toss-up, potentially setting up a closely fought general-election contest, while Wasserman Schultz’s 20th District is rated solidly Democratic. {Matzav.com}