Republican Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback leaned on a phrase long tied to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in a new campaign ad released Saturday, declaring he is “running for Florida Governor to make the trains run on time.”
The 30-year-old investor, who is running in Florida’s 2026 governor’s race, filmed the pot on tracks that once carried Amtrak’s Sunset Limited in the rural Panhandle town of Chipley and paired it with the caption on X, Facebook and LinkedIn as part of his pitch to restore passenger rail and boost jobs in the region. (RELATED: Florida Republicans Protest Data Centers Despite Trump Admin Push)
“My name is James Fishbach, and I’m running for Florida governor,” Fishback says in the ad. “I’m here in Chipley in the Panhandle on tracks that used to carry Amtrak’s Sunset Limited.”
I’m running for Florida Governor to make the trains run on time. pic.twitter.com/1UuRfLFYQI
— James Fishback (@j_fishback) December 13, 2025
The phrase “made the trains run on time” is widely documented as having been used to praise Mussolini’s rule in Italy, even though historians say it overstates his regime’s actual success improving rail service, according to Snopes. It has since become shorthand in English for trading political freedoms for the promise of authoritarian efficiency.
Fishback does not mention Mussolini or fascism in the video or caption.
On his official campaign site, Fishback says he is “running to succeed Ron DeSantis as Florida’s next Republican Governor” and emphasizes an “affordability” message on housing, jobs and property taxes. He previously drew fire in November after calling rival GOP frontrunner Byron Donalds “a slave to his donors” during his launch event, according to WFLX.
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