GOP underdog candidate wants to go far beyond DeSantis and ban abortion as murder in Florida
Florida – Florida’s Republican race for governor has already been loud, crowded and deeply tied to the legacy of Gov. Ron DeSantis. Now, one candidate is pushing the contest into even sharper territory by promising to take the state’s abortion fight far beyond its current limits.
James Fishback, a Republican candidate for governor and CEO of Azoria, has vowed that if he wins, he will move to shut down every abortion clinic still operating in Florida.
His pitch is not a small adjustment to state policy. It is a sweeping promise to replace abortion providers with crisis pregnancy centers and treat abortion as murder.
The comments landed as U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, backed by President Donald Trump, remains the clear frontrunner in the Republican primary. A recent Emerson College Polling survey showed Donalds with 46% support among Republican primary voters, far ahead of the rest of the field, while Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Fishback each stood at 4%. A large share of voters, 39%, remained undecided.
That gap has left Donalds in control of the race for now. But it has also opened the door for challengers to try something risky: force the conversation away from Donalds’ lead and toward hardline conservative issues where they believe the base still wants more action.
Fishback has chosen abortion as one of those issues.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Fishback praised DeSantis and said he would go even further if elected.
“Ron DeSantis is the most pro-life Governor in America, and I intend to build on his incredible work. As Governor, I will shut down the 53 abortion clinics that remain in Florida and replace every single one with a crisis pregnancy center,” Fishback said.
He added that the replacement centers would offer free ultrasounds, baby food, diapers, counseling, prenatal care and postpartum care.
“Abortion is never the answer. Every expecting mom in Florida deserves real support, and as Governor, I will make sure she gets it,” he said.
Florida already has one of the strictest abortion laws in the country. The state’s six-week ban took effect on May 1, 2024, and reshaped access not only for Floridians but also for many patients across the South who had previously traveled to Florida for abortion care.
The Guttmacher Institute reported that clinician-provided abortions dropped substantially after the law took effect.
More recent Guttmacher reporting also found that the number of brick-and-mortar abortion clinics in Florida declined from 53 in March 2024 to 49 in December 2025, with the decrease likely tied to the six-week ban. Fishback’s public promise, however, still refers to shutting down 53 clinics, a figure that has become central to his campaign message.
His language has been even sharper on social media. Fishback wrote that “100% of abortions are murder. And as Governor, I’ll treat them as such.”
100% of abortions are murder. And as Governor, I'll treat them as such. https://t.co/ENIEQtv3XW
— James Fishback (@j_fishback) June 6, 2026
In another post, he said, “It’s murder. And I’ll prosecute it as such. No more games. Abolish abortion.”
It’s murder. And I’ll prosecute it as such. No more games. Abolish abortion. https://t.co/2tABXIUN03
— James Fishback (@j_fishback) June 4, 2026
The statements have set him apart from other Republican candidates who also support anti-abortion policies but have not framed their campaigns with the same absolutist language.
Collins and former House Speaker Paul Renner are also running as pro-life conservatives, yet Fishback has made clear that he wants the next governor to move from restriction to abolition.
The timing matters. Florida’s 2026 primary election is set for August 18, according to the state’s official election calendar, with the general election scheduled for November 3.
That gives Donalds’ rivals just over two months to weaken his hold on the GOP race, draw attention from conservative voters and argue that the frontrunner is not the strongest heir to DeSantis-style politics.
Donalds, meanwhile, benefits from Trump’s endorsement, strong name recognition and a fundraising machine that has helped keep him at the front of the pack. He has already qualified for the ballot and is widely viewed as the favorite to become the Republican nominee in a state that has moved strongly to the right in recent election cycles.
Still, Fishback’s abortion pledge shows how the primary may become less about who is leading and more about how far the candidates are willing to go.
For some Republican voters, his promise may sound like the next step after the DeSantis years. For critics, it will sound extreme, especially in a state where abortion access has already been sharply reduced.
On the Democratic side, former Republican congressman David Jolly has entered the race and is trying to present himself as a moderate focused on affordability, insurance costs, housing and education.
His party switch has angered Florida Republicans, though some Democrats point to polling that suggests he could be competitive in a general-election matchup.
But for now, the loudest fight is inside the GOP primary. Donalds is ahead. Fishback is trying to shake the race. And abortion, already one of Florida’s most divisive issues, has again become a test of how far the state’s Republican candidates are prepared to go.
