Florida Primaries: Victory for Trump, Defeat for Dan Bilzerian — and a Surprise in the Senate
The Florida primaries strengthened candidates identified with Donald Trump and defeated two Republican candidates who stood out for their antisemitic remarks. At the same time, a surprise was recorded on the left, as Democrat Angie Nixon won the race for the Senate.
The primaries held last night in Florida provided victories for candidates identified with US President Donald Trump on the Republican side, but also a significant surprise among the Democrats, when a candidate from the progressive and anti-Israel wing managed to win the nomination for the Senate. At the same time, two Republican candidates who stood out in campaigns that included antisemitic remarks or ties to the antisemitic right were defeated.
In the central race for the position of Governor of Florida, Republican Congressman Byron Donalds, who was supported by Donald Trump, won. After counting most of the votes, he received about 48% of the vote, with a significant gap from Lieutenant Governor J. Collins. In November, Donalds will face David Jolly, a former Republican Congressman who moved to the Democratic Party and won its primaries with more than 60% of the vote.
One of the prominent losers in the Republican race for governor was James Fishback, who received only about 10%. Fishback ran an anti-Israel campaign and linked himself to figures from the far right, including Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and the "Groypers" movement. He pledged to withdraw Florida's investments from Israel, opposed receiving donations from pro-Israel entities, and used expressions identified with antisemitic discourse online.
An even more prominent defeat was recorded in the 6th Congressional District. Jewish and pro-Israel Congressman Randy Fine defeated influencer Dan Bilzerian, who received only about 18% of the vote. Bilzerian ran an openly antisemitic campaign, published content that included positive references to Hitler, Holocaust denial, and antisemitic imagery against Fine. Fine received about 57% of the vote.
On the Democratic side, a significant success was recorded for the anti-Israel camp. Florida House of Representatives member Angie Nixon, a member of the "Democratic Socialists of America" and a sharp critic of Israel, surprised when she defeated Alexander Vindman in the Senate primaries, with about 56% of the vote.
She will face Republican Senator Ashley Moody in November. Nixon was supported, among others, by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and previously promoted calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
However, in two other races, pro-Israel Democrats defeated their rivals from the left. Jewish Congressman Jared Moskowitz defeated anti-Zionist socialist Oliver Larkin by about 64% to 36%. Veteran Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz also won the primaries in the 20th District. Elijah Manley, who focused during the campaign on sharp criticism of her support for Israel and her ties to AIPAC, reached only third place with about 14% of the vote.
