{"id":2646328,"date":"2026-08-18T06:51:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T10:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-primaries-put-antisemitism-on-left-and-right-to-the-test\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T06:59:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T10:59:16","slug":"florida-primaries-put-antisemitism-on-left-and-right-to-the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-primaries-put-antisemitism-on-left-and-right-to-the-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida primaries put antisemitism on Left and Right to the test"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflorida-primaries-put-antisemitism-on-left-and-right-to-the-test%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2646328&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Florida voters are participating in primaries that test the impact of antisemitic rhetoric and anti-Israel sentiments across both political parties. On the Democratic side,prominent Jewish figures like Rep. Jared Moskowitz, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Alex Vindman are facing challengers who align with democratic socialism and often endorse anti-Zionist views. Conversely, Republicans are confronting their own issues with antisemitism, exemplified by candidates like Rep.Byron Donalds and challenger James Fishback,who has used racist and antisemitic messaging. Additionally,Republican candidate Dan Bilzerian has run a highly antisemitic campaign attacking Rep. Randy Fine\u2019s Jewish identity, drawing broad condemnation. Experts note that although these primaries reflect fringe movements gaining some traction, high turnout and established demographic factors may influence their ultimate impact. Analysts also emphasize the importance of understanding what motivates voters toward such insurgent candidates, stressing the need for all parties to address and call out antisemitism within their ranks.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\">Florida<\/a> voters will decide on a series of primaries Tuesday that pit some of the state\u2019s most prominent Jewish political figures against challengers from the ideological fringes, offering a fresh test of how <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antisemitism\/\">antisemitic<\/a> rhetoric and hard-line opposition to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\">Israel<\/a> are resonating on both the Left and the Right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the Democratic side, pro-Israel <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4585479\/jared-moskowitz-bid-competitive-florida-district-new-map\/\">Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL)<\/a> faces DSA-backed democratic socialist Oliver Larkin, while longtime <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/debbie-wasserman-schultz\/\">Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)<\/a> is navigating a crowded primary that includes progressive activist Elijah Manley. In the Democratic Senate primary, former National Security Council official Alex Vindman is running against state Rep. Angie Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4690378\/florida-primaries-antisemitism-dsa-republicans-democrats\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Florida primaries test appetite for antisemitism and anti-Israel politics on Left and Right<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4690491\/transgender-rights-fight-raging-massachusetts-senate-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>A Democrat\u2019s apology hasn\u2019t calmed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meet-the-virginia-veteran-trying-to-flip-abigail-spanbergers-old-district\/\" title=\"Meet the Virginia veteran trying to flip Abigail Spanberger&#039;s old district\">transgender rights fight raging<\/a> in Massachusetts Senate primary<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/videos\/4687914\/doug-ollivant-republican-veteran-virginia-7th-district\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Who is Doug Ollivant? Meet the Republican veteran trying to flip Abigail Spanberger\u2019s old district<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moskowitz, Wasserman Schultz, and Vindman are all Jewish, adding another dimension to contests in which their challengers have aligned themselves with a democratic socialist movement that has increasingly embraced anti-Zionism.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans are confronting the issue from the opposite ideological flank. Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), one of four Jewish Republicans in Congress, is also facing a challenge from podcaster and influencer Dan Bilzerian, whose campaign has leaned <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4689612\/dan-bilzerian-antisemitic-ad-florida-randy-fine\/\">heavily on antisemitic conspiracy theories<\/a> and attacks on Fine\u2019s Jewish identity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dynamic has also surfaced in the gubernatorial primary. Trump-backed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who is Black and Christian, is the overwhelming favorite in the crowded field, but former investment firm CEO James Fishback has attracted attention with a campaign featuring racist and antisemitic messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The contests will provide an unusual snapshot of how much appetite primary voters in both parties have for candidates and movements once considered well outside Florida\u2019s political mainstream.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t think anybody who worries about antisemitism can take any of this lightly,\u201d veteran Florida Democratic strategist Steve Schale told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. He argued that \u201cgood people in both parties need to call it out \u2026 within their own families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Schale cautioned against reading too much into the loudest voices in low-turnout primaries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think we all can probably sometimes overread, you know, noise in a primary,\u201d Schale said. \u201cWhen it boils down to it, we\u2019re still talking about some percentage of a small percentage of a small percentage of the electorate who is, you know, who is making this noise.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-democrats-face-challenges-from-the-left\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Democrats face challenges from the Left<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The clearest Democratic test may come in Moskowitz\u2019s South Florida district, where the outspoken pro-Israel Democrat faces Larkin, a DSA-backed critic of the U.S.-Israel relationship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Larkin doubled down in the closing days of the campaign by appearing alongside Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), one of Congress\u2019s most vocal critics of Israel, at a Friday rally that also featured Nixon. The event became a controversy of its own after<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/politics-government\/state-politics\/article316881590.html\"> multiple Fort Lauderdale-area venues declined to host it<\/a> amid backlash from members of the local Jewish community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The episode underscored what could be particularly difficult political terrain for the DSA. Schale noted that South Florida\u2019s primary electorate is considerably older than the voters powering democratic socialist candidates elsewhere, while the region includes a sizable Jewish population and Hispanic communities with deep skepticism toward socialism.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s probably not a great test case for the DSA,\u201d Schale said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida\u2019s closed-primary system further limits the influence of younger voters, many of whom are not registered with either major party and therefore cannot participate in partisan primaries, Schale argued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe DSA has not really had much success here,\u201d he said, pointing to the movement\u2019s limited footprint among elected officials in Florida. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a strain of it in both parties that \u2026 I don\u2019t think we can ignore.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The challenges come roughly a year after the DSA adopted its \u201cFor a Fighting Anti-Zionist DSA\u201d resolution, which described Israel as \u201ca racist, imperialist, settler-colonialist project.\u201d DSA CoChair Megan Romer separately told the <em>New Yorker<\/em> that the Oct. 7 attack was \u201cthe inevitable backlash\u201d to Israeli policy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ideological divide extends beyond the House races. In the Democratic Senate primary, Vindman has sharply criticized what he calls rising antisemitism within the Democratic Party\u2019s \u201cDSA wing.\u201d Nixon, meanwhile, has embraced the organization and argued that recent victories by democratic socialist candidates show voters are rejecting establishment politics. Her appearance with Tlaib and Larkin on Friday put that contrast on display days before the primary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schale said it is difficult to determine whether support for DSA-aligned candidates is being driven by the movement\u2019s ideology, including its positions on Israel, or by a broader frustration with longtime incumbents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t know how much of the DSA stuff is related to Israel,\u201d Schale said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how much of it\u2019s related to just frustration about \u2026 Democrats who didn\u2019t know when it was time to go home from Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wasserman Schultz faces a more complicated political test. Her newly drawn district has a larger black electorate, and she faces a crowded field that includes Manley, who also attended the Tlaib rally. Schale cautioned against interpreting the result purely as an ideological referendum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s the African American politics she\u2019s navigating down there,\u201d Schale said. \u201cThere\u2019s the leftist politics she\u2019s navigating down there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think Debbie probably wins it,\u201d he said but that a loss would not necessarily amount to \u201csome repudiation of her politics.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-republicans-confront-antisemitism-on-the-right\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Republicans confront antisemitism on the Right<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans face a parallel test in the gubernatorial and congressional primaries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Donalds is the overwhelming favorite in an 11-candidate gubernatorial field, but Fishback\u2019s final vote share could provide a measure of the appetite for his brand of antiestablishment politics after a campaign featuring racist and antisemitic messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schale said he has heard from Republican friends whose younger family members find Fishback intriguing, raising questions about what is driving his support.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow much of it is \u2026 the blatant antisemitism and racism that comes out of his mouth versus how much of it is, he\u2019s running on a very antiestablishment message to a group of voters who feel like establishment politics has failed them?\u201d Schale said. \u201cI don\u2019t think we know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most overt antisemitism has emerged in Bilzerian\u2019s challenge to Fine. Bilzerian has made antisemitic conspiracy theories central to his campaign and poured more than $1 million of his own money into the race. The Combat Antisemitism Movement found roughly one-third of his campaign messaging was explicitly antisemitic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The campaign drew bipartisan condemnation after Bilzerian released an AI-generated ad attacking Fine\u2019s Jewish identity, including calling him a \u201cfat Jew\u201d and portraying him as \u201cSatanic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe hateful campaign being run by Daniel Bilzerian in Florida is blatantly antisemitic and shocks the conscience,\u201d House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4689612\/dan-bilzerian-antisemitic-ad-florida-randy-fine\/\">similarly called Bilzerian\u2019s attacks \u201cdisgusting,\u201d<\/a> adding that \u201cantisemitism and outward hatred of Jewish communities have no place in our politics or in America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schale predicted both Moskowitz and Fine would win Tuesday, but said the results could still offer clues about whether movements on the fringes of both parties are gaining traction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery election is a data point,\u201d Schale said, while cautioning that \u201cwe all probably read way too much in any one given election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4689612\/dan-bilzerian-antisemitic-ad-florida-randy-fine\/\"><strong>LAWMAKERS CONDEMN RANDY FINE\u2019S PRIMARY OPPONENT FOR ANTISEMITIC AD IN GOP PRIMARY <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The more important question, he argued, is what is driving voters toward insurgent candidates, particularly younger voters attracted to antiestablishment messages.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think we have to take it seriously,\u201d Schale said. \u201cI don\u2019t have the answer to that. I don\u2019t know what the answer to that is, but I think we need to. I think we all need to learn it if we\u2019re going to figure out how to address it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida primaries test antisemitism and Israel debates<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2646329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-collage-869x6gqje-1787000324395-e1787002605159.jpg?1786988874&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7053,84309,66020],"class_list":["post-2646328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-antisemitism","tag-florida-primaries","tag-political-testing"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-collage-869x6gqje-1787000324395-e1787002605159.jpg?1786988874&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2646328"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2646332,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646328\/revisions\/2646332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2646329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2646328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2646328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2646328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}