Several candidates promoting antisemitic ideas garnered notable support during Florida’s recent Republican primaries, raising concern among the state’s large Jewish community. Although these candidates ultimately lost by wide margins, their campaigns have spotlighted the persistence and mainstreaming of anti-Jewish rhetoric in parts of the political landscape.

In the race for Florida governor, James Fishback secured third place with 10 percent of the vote. Fishback, who received a lengthy endorsement from conservative commentator Tucker Carlson in January, often incorporated fringe conspiracy theories and antisemitic tropes into his messaging. Campaign appearances and social media posts included references to “the great replacement” and “white genocide”—conspiracy theories central to far-right antisemitic thought that claim a secretive group, often coded as Jewish elites, seeks to displace white Americans through immigration. Fishback’s rhetoric also involved language associated with neo-Nazi circles, including the use of the term “Goyslop,” a derogatory slur implying Jewish manipulation of non-Jewish populations. Despite media inquiries highlighting these associations, he continued employing such language throughout the campaign.

In Florida’s Sixth Congressional District, far-right influencer Dan Bilzerian ran against incumbent Representative Randy Fine, who has faced his own accusations of antisemitic remarks. Bilzerian, who received nearly 19 percent of the Republican vote, employed openly antisemitic language during his campaign, including denying the Holocaust, falsely claiming Jewish culpability for the 9/11 attacks, and posting social media images captioned “District 6 understands the jewish problem.” Bilzerian’s campaign rhetoric also included praise for Adolf Hitler, drawing sharp condemnation from observers.

Florida’s Jewish community, one of the largest in the U.S. with over half a million residents, expressed unease at the prominence of such candidates. Rabbi Efrem Goldberg of Boca Raton Synagogue noted a shift in public discourse, with rhetoric once considered taboo now entering mainstream political conversations. Younger voters like Aiden Harow, a recent Yeshiva University graduate from Boca Raton, described the alarming impact of aggressive antisemitic messaging that accompanied these campaigns, including unsettling outreach efforts through phone calls and texts. Some messages employed overtly Christian nationalist language sometimes weaponized against Jewish people.

Despite the concerning elements of the campaigns, many Jewish voters found some reassurance in the decisive defeats of Fishback and Bilzerian, interpreting the outcomes as a rejection of antisemitic platforms by the broader electorate. Alex Hochberger, a technology and marketing professional from Hollywood, Florida, characterized Fishback’s run as more of an attempt to build a media profile than a viable political bid. However, other community members voiced apprehension about the level of support such candidates received. Tammy Wagan, a Republican from near Fort Lauderdale, expressed deep unease, questioning what the votes for these candidates might signal about underlying societal attitudes.

The Florida primaries unfolded amid broader political debates over Israel and Jewish issues, but the prominence of candidates endorsing extremist and antisemitic ideas marks a troubling development for the state’s Jewish population. While electoral rebukes of these candidates demonstrate limits to such appeals, observers warn that the normalization of such rhetoric remains a cause for continued vigilance in Florida and beyond.