James Fishback fundraising continues to flounder, as campaign has under $28K cash on hand

Despite benefiting from scads of earned media from national outlets, Republican candidate for Governor James Fishback can’t turn press fascination into financial security.

The candidate who claims Madison County as his home base limped out of the first quarter of 2026 having raised a little more than $295,000  throughout the campaign, but having spent nearly $268,000 so far.

The first full quarter of the year makes up the bulk of the financial activity for the campaign account, with $276,382 raised and $255,442 spent.

The biggest spend, which was roughly $115,000 spread across multiple payments last quarter, went to Shocksock Apparel of Port St Lucie, a company that specializes in t-shirts and merchandise. In other words, he has spent roughly four times his cash on hand on swag, with nearly four months to go in the campaign.

Fishback, who has a homesteaded property in Northwest DC’s fashionable Glover Park neighborhood, looks to have used his campaign to fund some activities in the nation’s capital also, including a $2,086 hotel bill at the Glover Park Hotel and various meals during March. Additionally, the report reflects food and fuel charges in February in Fayetteville, NC and Florence, SC.

Though it is theoretically possible these could be legitimate campaign expenses, it’s notable given the hand-to-mouth nature of Fishback’s campaign that he’s spending these finite funds for travel not directly linked to engaging Florida voters.

While his Florida First PAC would seem to be another vehicle for donors, no financial activity was reported as of Saturday, with the Q1 report to the Division of Elections not having been filed despite the Friday deadline. The previous report reflected no donations to the committee account through the end of last year, and the webpage lacks any donation or expenditure information.

Friday’s filing is the latest discouraging development in Fishback’s campaign, which has seen him in the headlines for personal financial mismanagement and legal woes as much as for his edgelord rhetoric.

Fishback launched his campaign for Governor amid a legal dispute with Greenlight Capital, a hedge fund he worked for as an analyst between early 2021 and August 2023.

Last month, Fishback lost an arbitration battle with Greenlight and was lambasted on X after declaring that he would not pay more than $150,000 in fees to his lawyer, Justin Kelton of Abrams Fernsterman, prompting Kelton to seek his removal from the case.

A federal magistrate judge ordered Fishback to pay Greenlight roughly $229,000 in January after he failed to respond to a court-ordered deadline. The court authorized the seizure of Fishback’s assets by the U.S. Marshals Service, including Azoria stock certificates and dozens of personal items described as luxury purchases.

Fishback has said he will not pay the $229,000 judgment.

But his unwillingness to pay his legal fees and court damages may be less about want than wherewithal. He had his Tesla repossessed in November.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds leads in polls, with one showing him with 50% support, and in fundraising, with a $22 million Q1 giving him a massive advantage over Fishback as well as Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who relied on one donor for more than half of his money reported so far, as well as former House Speaker Paul Renner, who is spending more than he is raising these days.

But for all of their problems, at least Collins and Renner have some cash on hand and are headed into the meat of the campaign without facing lawsuits and eligibility questions.

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Jesse Scheckner contributed reporting.