James Thomas Fishback (born January 1, 1995)^[1][2] is an American investor, hedge fund manager, and political candidate. He is the CEO of Azoria Partners, an investment firm.^[3] He is a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2026 Florida gubernatorial election.^[4]

James Fishback was born on January 1, 1995, in Davie, Florida, as a fourth-generation Floridian.^[5] His mother immigrated from Colombia, and his father worked as a tree trimmer before becoming a bus driver. He attended public schools in Broward County.^[6][7] Fishback enrolled at Georgetown University to study international economics but dropped out at age 21 to pursue a career in finance.^[8]

After leaving Georgetown, Fishback joined the hedge fund Greenlight Capital in 2021.^[9] Fishback was employed by Greenlight Capital until 2023, when he resigned ahead of a planned termination cited for low productivity.^[10]

In October 2023, Fishback sued Greenlight Capital over a dispute regarding his job title.^[11] In his lawsuit, he claimed to have held a senior macro role, specifically as "head of macro," his second promotion in two-and-a-half years after starting as a research analyst and trader.^[12] Greenlight Capital denied these claims, stating that the position of "head of macro" never existed.^[13][14]

In June 2024, Greenlight Capital countersued Fishback, alleging misrepresentation of his role, breach of his employment agreement, and defamation.^[14] In September 2025, Fishback admitted to sharing confidential Greenlight positions and strategies via his personal email and operating an undisclosed trading account, violating his employment agreement. As part of the settlement, he agreed to delete or return all Greenlight materials in his possession and pay the firm's legal expenses.^[15]

In 2023, Fishback founded Azoria Partners, an investment management firm focused on global macro strategies.^[16] In 2025, Azoria launched the Azoria 500 Meritocracy ETF, which tracks the S&P 500 but excludes companies with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.^[17][18][19] The ETF was shut down a few months later by its independent trustees.^[20]

In 2019, Fishback founded Incubate Debate, a debate league that provides tournaments and training for middle and High School students.^[21][22]

In early 2025, Fishback gained national attention when he proposed the "DOGE Dividend," a plan to return 20% of savings from the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) directly to taxpayers.^[23]

On November 24, 2025, Fishback announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2026 Florida gubernatorial election.^[24] Fishback is challenging frontrunner Byron Donalds, a U.S. representative endorsed by Donald Trump. In his announcement video, Fishback criticized Donalds' record in Congress, and later attacked Donalds for his ties to "corporate interests," calling him a "slave to his donors."^[25][26]

Fishback has been described as a strong supporter of Florida governor Ron DeSantis, and has praised his "historical record" while in office.^[27] During his campaign, Fishback defended supporters of far-right political commentator Nick Fuentes, stating "I've found the audience of young men who follow and watch Nick Fuentes to be actually incredibly informed and insightful and very patriotic."^[28] Fishback has been described as a "groyper."^[29][30][31] In response Fishback has stated, "I don't even know what that means, groyper."^{[30] [32]}

Fishback has emphasized affordability in his gubernatorial campaign, highlighting rising living costs in Florida and prioritizing housing affordability.^[33] He has proposed increasing competition and confronting insurers to address the issue.^[34] Fishback supports eliminating property taxes on homestead properties.^[35][34] Fishback supports banning investment firms, such as BlackRock, from purchasing single-family homes.^[30]

Fishback opposes the construction of AI datacenters in Florida, arguing they would increase energy costs.^[36] Fishback said that his focus on affordability has been inspired by the campaign of New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.^[28][30]

Fishback has campaigned to abolish the H-1B visa program and pledged to fire state government employees working under it.^[37][38][39] Fishback is against immigration to the United States and has stated that he supports a "complete immigration moratorium".^[40] Fishback supports a complete ban on abortion, including in cases of rape and incest.^[41] Fishback supports reopening the Florida portion of the Amtrak Sunset Limited train route, halted after Hurricane Katrina.

Under his America First platform, Fishback has pledged to refuse campaign donations from organizations affiliated with foreign countries, specifically naming the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).^[42] He has criticized Israel for its handling of the Gaza war.^[31]

Fishback currently resides in Madison, Florida.^[21] He is a Catholic.^[43]

In December 2025, it was reported by NBC News that the Miami School District allegedly cut ties with Fishback over allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor who was working for his club, Incubate Debate, in 2022. Fishback responded to the claims in a statement to NBC News that read, "These allegations from several years ago are completely false, and after two lengthy court hearings in Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit, I was fully exonerated. I have never been arrested, charged, or convicted of any crime.^[44]