James Fishback, middle, greets students in USF’s Marshall Student Center Ballroom during a Tuesday campaign rally. ORACLE PHOTO/THOMAS MARRS

More than 600 USF students and community members packed into the Marshall Student Center Ballroom Tuesday night during a campaign rally for Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback. 

Fishback, a 31-year-old Republican, is running on a platform to make Florida more affordable by eliminating property taxes and restricting rural land development, according to his campaign website. 

His 47-minute speech spanned issues of affordability, immigration and conservation, drawing applause for topics such as restricting H-1B visas and divesting from Israel.

Fishback’s campaign event was organized by the College Republicans at USF, Young Americans for Liberty and Bulls For Fishback, a non-USF organization. 

A fourth-generation Floridian, Fishback announced his campaign for the Governor’s Mansion in November, marking his first run for public office. 

He’ll face off against frontrunner Byron Donalds, Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins and former Florida Speaker of the House Paul Renner during August’s Republican primary. 

Those who attended the rally said they had mixed views on Fishback’s platform and messaging and added that he made several racially charged remarks during his speech. 

Fishback, who has been touring several college campuses, said he wants his campaign to reach out to voters. 

“I want to meet voters where they are,” Fishback said in an interview with the Oracle after the rally. “Every single person in our state needs to know that I’m going to be a governor for them, and that also means young people.” 

Related: Florida Attorney General talks DEI, artificial intelligence regulations at USF

The event started with an invite-only meet-and-greet outside the MSC Ballroom at 7 p.m., resulting in a line of several hundred students waiting to take pictures with Fishback. 

The rally began just after 9 p.m., as students quickly filled rows of chairs, leaving a cluster of students standing at the back of the ballroom. It ended just before 10 p.m. 

Caroline Pope, the president of USF’s First Amendment Forum, said she decided to attend Fishback’s campaign rally to become more familiar with his platform despite not supporting him. 

“It’s important to understand why there are people that support him, where they’re coming from, what he’s saying, what’s kind of in the zeitgeist of politics now,” said Pope, a senior political science major.

Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback holds up USF’s signature hand sign during his Tuesday campaign rally. ORACLE PHOTO/THOMAS MARRS

Affordability was one of the first topics Fishback discussed in his speech, voicing his support for expanding paid maternity leave and for banning private equity firms from buying single-family homes. 

Florida’s cost-of-living growth has skyrocketed since the 2010s, growing from an average of 1.3% to 5.8% per year in the 2020s, according to an October Florida Tax Watch study. 

“I’m talking about an existential affordability that says you’ll be able to get a great-paying job,” Fishback said. “You’ll be able to buy a home before the age of 30, you will be able to raise a family, if you so choose, on a single income.” 

Fishback’s push for affordability didn’t end at housing. He also homed in on H-1B visas, which he said he believes take jobs from Floridian workers. 

The H-1B program is designed to allow employers to hire “non-immigrant aliens” to work in the U.S. in “specialty occupations,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

“You should be able to get a great-paying job without competing with cheap foreign labor under the H-1B program,” Fishback said. “We must say no to the H-1B scam that seeks to replace qualified graduates from the USA.” 

The state of Florida has 2,253 H-1B recipients, and USF employs 24, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Additionally, Fishback said USF was not the “University of South India,” in reference to the 882 international students from India, pushing back against admitting foreign students.

He said international students “may mean well,” but argued that many of them get their degree and return to their home country after taking spots from Floridians seeking a college education.

Related: USF students balance finals, packing as dorm move-out nears

Kendrick Path, a “college-aged” Tampa resident, said Fishback is the only gubernatorial candidate in the race standing up for Americans facing the affordability crisis.

“[He’s] putting Americans first, and he’s standing up, not for Israel, but for Americans and Floridians,” Path said. “He wants to start that by taking bonds that are going to Israel away, putting that towards Florida homeowners.” 

Fishback has condemned Israel throughout his campaign, calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “depraved war criminal” at a rally in January. 

He referred to Israel’s War in Gaza as a “genocide,” breaking with many Republicans’ support for Israel. 

Fishback was also particularly critical of Donalds for receiving money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a political action committee that frequently contributes to U.S. politicians.

Donalds has received over $350,000 from AIPAC as a congressman, according to AIPAC Tracker, a website that tracks AIPAC contributions to politicians.

Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback poses for a selfie with an attendee after his rally at USF. ORACLE PHOTO/THOMAS MARRS

Fishback also touched on environmental conservation during his speech, calling on attendees to “say no” to more development, including housing and artificial intelligence data centers on natural land.

“[Old Florida] was willing to say no to $100 million or $200 million there to be able to stand up for clean air and clean water,” Fishback said. “It was about creating not something new, but reviving something old.”

Florida has grown by nearly two million residents from 2020 to 2024, with roughly 23 million residents as of 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Florida is full,” Fishback said. “We can’t invite the rest of the country to live here when we aren’t taking care of our own.”

Related: USF, Florida universities to pause hiring H-1B faculty until 2027

But while Path supported Fishback’s policies, other attendees were concerned about his racial remarks toward one of his opponents. 

Blake Vick, a first-year biology master’s student, said Fishback was pushing “dangerous rhetoric” during his speech — particularly toward gubernatorial frontrunner Donalds, who is a Black man. 

“He had a lot of blatantly racist comments he made towards Donalds,” Vick said. 

Fishback mispronounced Donalds’ name — saying “By-rone” — multiple times during the speech. He also called Donalds “AIPAC Shakur,” a reference to hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur. 

Still, Path said the comments didn’t bother him and that his support remains with Fishback.

“Fishback is doing things that other politicians won’t do,” Path said. “I think controversy is good because he’s trying to get eyes on his campaign.” 

Additional reporting by Thomas Marrs.