Fishback completes first 67-county Florida campaign sweep in Monroe County

James Fishback wrapped his Monroe County stop on June 30, completing visits to all 67 Florida counties, his campaign said. The final Keys stop carried extra weight for a candidate who has built his run around a promise to meet voters “where they live, work, and pray” and a launch message built on affordability and the slogan “Florida is our home.” Monroe County, home to Key West and the rest of the Florida Keys, is Florida’s southernmost county and one of its most geographically distinct.

Fishback is running as a Republican for Florida governor in the August 18, 2026 primary and is already qualified with the Florida Division of Elections. His campaign website describes him as a fourth-generation Floridian, and the county-by-county trek has been one of his central campaign themes from the start. By finishing in Monroe, Fishback closed the loop in a county that often operates differently from the rest of the state, with county government centered in Key West and countywide services and public meetings spread across the island chain.

The Monroe stop also sharpened the contrast between a statewide slogan and the local realities of the Keys. Monroe County’s government website identifies Key West as the county seat and service hub, underscoring the distance many residents travel to reach county offices, hearings and public meetings. For a campaign trying to prove it has touched every corner of Florida, the Keys were an unmistakable final marker.

Fishback’s team is presenting the 67-county sweep as unprecedented for a Florida gubernatorial campaign, even though earlier candidates have also leaned on county-by-county travel as proof of statewide reach. Carlos Beruff used a “Road to 67” tracker in 2016, and Annette Taddeo promoted a 67-county plan in 2022. Fishback’s completion of the route now puts Monroe County at the end of a political checklist that stretches from the Panhandle to Key West, as the August primary approaches.