FLORIDA (VINnews/Editorial) – The sadder story coming out of Florida tonight is not that Dan Bilzerian lost his Republican congressional primary. It is that he received roughly 11,000 votes at all.

Bilzerian ran a campaign steeped in antisemitic rhetoric and repeatedly invoked Adolf Hitler. His statements and campaign material have led to him being widely condemned as a neo-Nazi and antisemite.

And yet, thousands of Republican voters still walked into polling places and chose his name.

That should disturb every American, regardless of political party.

Bilzerian was decisively defeated by Rep. Randy Fine, who secured the Republican nomination. Fine, who is Jewish, had been the target of some of Bilzerian’s most inflammatory rhetoric during the campaign.

The election result is certainly a victory over antisemitism. But celebrating the defeat while ignoring the 11,000 votes would miss the bigger warning.

How does a candidate who openly embraces Hitler and repeatedly attacks Jews manage to attract thousands of votes in an American congressional primary?

That is the question we should be asking tonight.

This is bigger than one congressional district and bigger than one political party. Antisemitism does not become less dangerous because the candidate promoting it loses.

Bilzerian lost.

But the fact that thousands of Americans were willing to vote for him is the part that should keep us awake.