Florida Democrat accuses Ron DeSantis of racism for throwing weight behind “racist” James Fishback in governor race
Florida – Florida politics took another sharp turn this weekend after Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon accused Gov. Ron DeSantis of racism and tied him to one of the most volatile names in the 2026 Republican race for governor.
Nixon, a Florida Democrat who represents House District 13, used a late Sunday post on X to go directly at DeSantis. Her words were blunt.
“I’ve said this multiple times. @RonDeSantis is a bonafide racist. Now he’s trying to throw what little weight he has behind @j_fishback, another racist. Against a Black man @ByronDonalds that acts as though racism doesn’t exist. @ChristinaPushaw and her love for James is to blame.”
I’ve said this multiple times. @RonDeSantis is a bonafide racist. Now he’s trying to throw what little weight he has behind @j_fishback, another racist. Against a Black man @ByronDonalds that acts as though racism doesn’t exist. @ChristinaPushaw and her love for James is to blame https://t.co/6N8psKrDhU
— State Rep. Angie Nixon (@AngieNixon) June 14, 2026
Read also: GOP underdog candidate wants to go far beyond DeSantis and ban abortion as murder in Florida
The post landed like a match in dry grass. It came as Republicans are already fighting over who should be allowed on a debate stage in the race to replace DeSantis, who is term-limited.
The Republican contest has been led by U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Trump-backed congressman from Southwest Florida, but the fight around the edges has become louder, uglier and more personal.
At the center of Nixon’s accusation is James Fishback, a 31-year-old political newcomer and former hedge fund figure who has built a campaign around confrontation.
Fishback has attacked Donalds aggressively, including racially charged remarks that have drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. The Tampa Bay Times reported earlier this year that Fishback had continued to use racist insults against Donalds while appealing to young, far-right audiences.
The newest fight began with the Republican Party of Florida’s planned “Sunshine State Showdown” debate.
Party rules and qualification standards left Donalds as the only candidate to clear the bar, effectively shutting out lower-polling rivals.
Fishback later said he would take part in a separate, unsanctioned debate, prompting the state GOP to rescind his invitation to official party events. In its statement, the party accused him of violating rules and continuing “antisemitic and racist attacks” on Republicans.
Then DeSantis stepped in, not to endorse Fishback, but to blast the party’s debate process. He said Republican voters had been promised a debate and argued that “ridiculous criteria” were being used to “engineer a preferred outcome.”
His point was simple: let the candidates stand on stage and argue.
That was enough for critics to draw a darker conclusion. Journalist Jacob Ogles suggested DeSantis appeared to be pushing for a “White nationalist” to get on the debate stage. Nixon amplified that framing and went further, saying DeSantis was using his shrinking political weight to help Fishback against Donalds, a Black Republican whom Nixon accused of minimizing racism.
It feels like @RONDESANTIS is going out of his way right now to get a White nationalist on a debate stage. And only a few months after the administration went out of its way to distance itself from Fishback's antics. https://t.co/DacLo7KI9m
— Jacob Ogles (@jacobogles) June 14, 2026
DeSantis allies pushed back quickly. Christina Pushaw, a longtime DeSantis adviser, argued that calling for a broader debate did not mean supporting any candidate or ideology. That is the counterargument from many Republicans: DeSantis is not backing Fishback, they say, he is objecting to party insiders protecting Donalds from scrutiny.
Still, Nixon’s attack fits her larger political identity.
She has long been one of DeSantis’ sharpest Democratic critics, especially on race, schools, voting rights and gun policy.
Her official Florida House page lists her as the Democratic representative for District 13, and she describes her work as focused on affordable housing, public schools, wages and healthcare.
Nixon is also running in Florida’s 2026 U.S. Senate special election, a campaign she launched by arguing that state leaders have ignored an affordability crisis hurting families across the state.
Nixon entered the race against Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, whom DeSantis appointed after Marco Rubio became secretary of state.
That gives the clash added weight. Nixon is not just commenting from the sidelines. She is trying to raise her own profile in a major statewide race, and few targets energize Florida Democrats more than DeSantis.
For Republicans, the danger is different.
The governor’s race is exposing a party split between Trump’s orbit, DeSantis loyalists, state party leadership and insurgent candidates who thrive on chaos.
Donalds remains the favorite, but the debate fight has handed attention to Fishback and turned what could have been a routine primary into another Florida political brawl.
By Monday, Nixon’s post had already become part of the larger war over race, power and loyalty in Florida politics. Her accusation was explosive.
The response was immediate. And with the August 18 primary approaching, the fight over who gets a microphone may be only the beginning.
