Far-right, anti-Israel firebrand James Fishback maintains strong lead among young voters in new poll

Fishback has accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and stated that the supposed “genocide” should be taught in Florida public schools.

By Corey Walker, The Algemeiner

James Fishback, a former hedge fund political activist who has repeatedly antagonized Jews, leads the field among voters under the age of 45, according to the Quantus polling firm.

He commands 26 percent of voters between ages 18 and 29. His opponents, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Florida Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, hold 21 percent of voters within this age range, according to the poll.

Approximately 38 percent of voters in the 30 to 44 age bracket support Fishback, compared to 28 percent and 14 percent that support Donalds and Collins, respectively.

Fishback has drawn criticism for relentlessly attacking Israel and veering, at times, into antisemitic discourse.

While addressing students at the University of Central Florida back in February, Fishback said he “will not visit the country of Israel under any circumstances.”

The candidate went on to mock the Western Wall, calling it a “stupid wall.”

Fishback has also criticized Donalds for arranging a forum at a south Florida synagogue, accusing the congressman of expressing favoritism toward Jewish people.

The insurgent candidate also came under fire for praising supporters of antisemitic social media personality Nick Fuentes as “patriots” and “civil.”

He has also accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and stated that the supposed “genocide” should be taught in Florida public schools.

He has also disparaged the food quality in the state’s public schools as “goyslop” an antisemitic term popularized online.

“We had a great conversation, and they have a real pulse for what is going on in the country,” Fishback said of Fuentes’s supporters.

Donalds, a stalwart conservative and strident ally of US President Donald Trump, has established himself as a firm supporter of Israel.

The lawmaker expressed support for Israel’s right to self-defense in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Isra”goyslop,”epticism about Israel has surged within the Republican Party in recent months, Donalds has maintained strong vocal support for the Jewish state.

During an interview with Fox Business in December 2025, Donalds lamented rising antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment within the country and around the world.

“This level of antisemitism, this hatred against Jewish people and against Israel, it’s out of control. It’s insane,” Donalds said.

Observers note that Fishback’s resilient polling performance among younger voters serves as an indication that newer generations of conservatives are more open to antisemitic beliefs than older generations.

For example, the Manhattan Institute, a prominent US-based think tank, released a major poll last December examining the evolving makeup of the Republican Party (GOP) and its current attitudes toward Israel and Jewish Americans.

According to the results, newer entrants to the GOP are more likely to be antisemitic

“Anti-Jewish Republicans are typically younger, disproportionately male, more likely to be college-educated, and significantly more likely to be New Entrant Republicans,” the survey found.

“They are also more racially diverse. Consistent church attendance is one of the strongest predictors of rejecting these attitudes; infrequent church attendance is, all else equal, one of the strongest predictors of falling into this segment.”

According to the data, 25 percent of GOP voters under 50 openly express antisemitic views as opposed to just 4 percent over the age of 50.

Startlingly, a substantial amount, 37 percent, of GOP voters indicate belief in Holocaust denialism.

These figures are more pronounced among young men under 50, with a majority, 54 percent, agreeing that the Holocaust “was greatly exaggerated or did not happen as historians describe.”

Among men over 50, 41 percent agree with the sentiment.