A far-right Republican running for Florida governor vowed to “meet voters where they are”—unless they’re in a Waffle House.
James Fishback, 31, revealed that his statewide Waffle House tour ran into a massive roadblock when the iconic diner chain abruptly revoked his permission to use its Florida locations.
Fishback, an anti-woke investment firm CEO, first announced in January that he would “visit every Waffle House in Florida to meet voters where they are.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Fishback posted four photos from “another incredible stop” on the tour, showing him speaking to a crowd just outside the Waffle House in Jacksonville.
Just hours later, he returned to X with an update.
“This morning, Waffle House abruptly revoked our permission, and criminally trespassed us from all of their Florida locations,” he said in a statement. “I am disappointed in Waffle House’s decision, especially since they had given us explicit permission to visit their restaurants just three weeks ago.”
It was not immediately clear what prompted the ban, though Fishback appeared to suggest in a Thursday morning post that it was linked to his anti-Israel views, which include a promise to “divest every penny from Israel on day one.”
“You can walk into any Waffle House and literally start punching employees and never get banned. But tell someone over dinner that ‘Americans shouldn’t die for Israel’? Banned for life,” he wrote.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Waffle House for comment.
The gubernatorial candidate remained defiant, announcing that his campaign would soon launch a free pop-up restaurant called the “Fishback Waffle Home” in select cities across Florida, so we can keep meeting voters over hot coffee and warm waffles.”
“Waffle House can revoke our permission, but they can’t stop our motion,” he said.
Fishback poked fun at the ban by posting an image of himself wearing a disguise with the caption, “on my way to Waffle House.” He also boosted a supporter’s post calling for “Justice for James Fishback.”
The political newcomer is running against Rep. Byron Donalds to clinch the Republican nomination for the seat soon to be vacated by term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis.
Fishback’s campaign has so far included a proposal to impose a 50-percent “sin tax” on the income of adult entertainers on the platform OnlyFans, as well as a stunt announcing that he joined dating app Tinder “to meet young female voters where they are, and share my plan to make it easier for them to get married, buy a home, and raise a family.”
After Elon Musk launched his DOGE initiative at the start of Trump 2.0, Fishback proposed a “DOGE dividend” that would give Americans 20 percent of all savings created by the cost-cutting crew.
Last year, NBC News reported that one of Florida’s largest school districts cut ties with Fishback in 2022 following allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor. Fishback called the accusation “completely false.”
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