James Fishback allegedly blocked from entering Florida Republicans’ rally

Former gubernatorial candidate James Fishback (R) said he was stopped from entering a Get Out the Vote rally in Clearwater, Fla. hosted by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) on Saturday.

Fishback said him and wife were told that he was “not welcome here” when trying to enter the venue, local news station CBS 12 reported .

“I have attended political events featuring Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bernie Sanders, and I’ve never had any issues. It is disgraceful that Byron Donalds would threaten to arrest us for attending a political event open to the public,” Fishback said according to the report.

Gates McGavick, who handles communications for Donalds’ campaign, posted on X saying “this is a lie. It wasn’t even Byron’s event. He did not kick anyone out, much less threaten anyone with arrest.”

The rally, hosted by Luna, listed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) as special guests, according to the CBS 12 report.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office told the news station that Luna’s staff advised detectives that Fishback was not welcome, however detectives did not threaten him with arrest.

Earlier this year, Fishback said his campaign was banned from Waffle House restaurants across Florida, after he announced in January that he planned to visit every Waffle House in the state to connect with voters over “hot coffee and warm waffles.”

Fishback, who lost his gubernational bid to Donalds, has previously been criticized for alleged inappropriate behavior and racist comments while on the campaign trail.