Antisemitism fight explodes in Florida as voters head to the polls: 'Political pogrom'
A Republican primary race in Florida has exploded over accusations of antisemitism as one far-right candidate espouses openly anti-Jewish tropes and references to Adolf Hitler.
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., the lone Jewish Republican in Florida's congressional delegation, is being targeted for his religion by a long-shot rival challenging him in the GOP primary for the Sunshine State's 6th Congressional District.
"This is an open Nazi who transported himself from Las Vegas to Florida in order to target me. This isn't an organic campaign. It's an organized pogrom against the Jews. It's a political pogrom," Fine told Fox News Digital of Dan Bilzerian's campaign on Tuesday.
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It comes as voters across Florida vote in primary elections that will set up key matchups between Democrats and Republicans ahead of the November midterms.
Fine, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, has attracted multiple GOP challengers in his fight for his first full term in the House. But none have generated backlash like Bilzerian.
"District 6 understands the Jewish problem," he captioned one post on X that appeared to show a campaign gathering.
Last week, he posted what appeared to be an AI-generated video to X that alluded to Hitler in a positive manner while depicting Fine with horns growing out of his head, another antisemitic trope that was infamously used in Nazi Germany to spur hatred of Jews.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., told Fox News Digital in response on Tuesday, "Dan Bilzerian is running for Congress on a Nazi platform. That’s not hyperbole. His own campaign ad celebrates Hitler, draws horns on Jews, and calls a sitting Jewish Member of Congress a problem to be solved. That’s absolutely insane, disgusting, and the clearest, textbook version of antisemitism."
"I don’t agree with Randy Fine on much, but that’s exactly the point. When someone runs for the United States Congress on Jew-hatred, every one of us, Democrat and Republican, has an obligation to say so out loud, no matter who’s on the other end of it," Gottheimer said.
Fine told Fox News Digital of Bilzerian's campaign, "I'll be honest, never in my wildest nightmares did I think I would start the week with a swastika painted on one of my yard signs and end the week with a video from a Republican congressional candidate with horns coming out of my head."
He also said, "They've spent, we believe, $6 or $7 million. And I think there's a much bigger story that needs to be explored when this is all over about the influence of direct foreign investments in political campaigns. They've spent millions of dollars in the race of unreported money."
There is no evidence as of now that foreign investors funded Bilzerian's campaign.
But the degree of antisemitism has drawn condemnation from both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
"The vile attack ads against Congressman Randy Fine in Florida's 6th District are disgusting and should be condemned by all political leaders on the Right and Left," Johnson said in a statement.
Jeffries said, "The hateful campaign being run by Daniel Bilzerian in Florida is blatantly antisemitic and shocks the conscience. People of goodwill, regardless of political affiliation, must reject his vile attacks on the Jewish community."
Gottheimer was also part of a group of Jewish House Democrats who said that while they do not agree with Fine's positions, Bilzerian's "grotesque" video "has no place in America."
Fine is widely expected to win his primary on Tuesday and is favored to win his seat in November.