Team Fishback

I can't sleep. I have to tell you about Yvonni. She came to my Town Hall in Jefferson County earlier tonight. She's a registered Democrat who had just attended the No Kings protest in Orlando. I was honest with her: I voted for Trump, I thought 2020 was rigged, and I support defunding Planned Parenthood, but I also shared that I support banning new AI Data Centers because of their environmental impact, restoring the rights of those who have long served their sentence, and raising public school teacher pay. She smiled with surprise. I told her we wouldn't agree on everything, but that I'll fight for every citizen in our state to get a great job, buy a home, afford health insurance, and retire with dignity, regardless of whether they're Republicans like me or Democrats like her. I confided in her that while I thought it was disgraceful when President Biden called Trump supporters "garbage," it is equally disgraceful when Congressional Republicans attack Democrat voters as "marxists" or "un-American." We are *all Americans.* This is our home, our birthright. I told her that I'm running for Governor "as a Republican," but not "for Republicans only." Florida is not a "Red State." We are the "Free State of Florida," and right now, too many of the people I grew up with are struggling. The cost of living crisis is forcing families out of the communities they grew up in, they built, and they paid taxes into for years. This crisis doesn't care whether you're a Democrat or Republican. It is ruthlessly indiscriminate. There isn't a different gas price if you're a Democrat or Republican. There isn't a different health insurance premium if you're a Democrat or Republican. There isn't a better unemployment rate if you're a Democrat or Republican. "I've never heard anyone talk like this, much less a Republican," she said. I was surprised, too: someone who had just protested at a No Kings rally complimented me. Why do we feel so divided when Yvonni, a card-carrying Democrat, and I, a staunch Republican, actually agree on so much? Just follow the money: political elites, fake news, and social media algorithms make more money when we are divided, outraged, and seek the dopamine-laced reinforcement in their for-profit echo chambers. I'm visiting all of Florida's 67 counties to escape these echo chambers and meet Republicans and Democrats in person, face to face, in their own communities. We aren't "disaffected" or "disillusioned" with politics. We are absolutely *disgusted* with politics. The two-party system (uni-party) has members that that throw shade at one another on Fox and CNN, then have dinner at the same restaurants, have cocktails at the same bars, and take money from the same un-American sources (@AIPAC). I told Yvonni that at times, I don't recognize my party. The same party that rightly champions fiscal conservatism and balanced budgets just asked Congress to spend $200 billion to pay for a war with Iran (for Israel's benefit). The same party that claimed the Epstein files were "on their desk," then three months later called them a "hoax." The same party that rails against illegal immigrants stealing American jobs (which they have) while handing out more H-1B visas to billionaires to fire qualified Americans and replace them with cheap foreign labor. Yvonni thanked me for being candid and for my time. I thanked for her coming and listening and giving me a chance. She asked how she could update her voter registration to vote for me in Florida's closed Republican primary in August. "VoteMyFlorida.org," I said. We hugged, and exchanged numbers. I was honored to earn her vote. But whether she had changed her registration or not, I'd still fight for her with the same vigor as I would any Republican. James T. Fishback Madison, Florida 1:32am ~ April 30, 2026