FLORIDA (VINnews) — Two Republican candidates who trafficked in antisemitic rhetoric and far-right conspiracy theories were defeated in Florida’s primaries last week, but their vote totals have left many in the state’s large Jewish community uneasy.

James Fishback, a former investment banker running for governor, finished third with 10% of the Republican vote. Dan Bilzerian, a far-right influencer challenging Rep. Randy Fine in the 6th Congressional District, received nearly 19%.

Both lost by wide margins. Jewish communal leaders said the results showed such appeals are not winning strategies. At the same time, they said the campaigns revealed how once-fringe ideas have moved closer to the political mainstream.

“People were very concerned by his campaign, by his campaign rhetoric, the attention that he drew, the support that he had from some of the most nefarious people of our time,” said Rabbi Efrem Goldberg of Boca Raton Synagogue, a modern Orthodox congregation with about 1,000 families.

Goldberg recalled driving his 79-year-old mother to the polls. She remarked that views once considered shameful to express publicly now seemed more common.

Florida is home to more than 500,000 Jews. Recent years have brought additional newcomers, drawn in part by remote-work opportunities and the state’s school-voucher program, which many Orthodox families use for religious schools. Many saw the state as a particularly welcoming place for Jewish life. The primary season challenged that assumption for some.

Bilzerian labeled Fine a “fat Jew,” praised Hitler in campaign material, and previously denied that 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. He claimed Jews were behind the Sept. 11 attacks and called for “exterminating Israel.” Days before the vote he posted photos with supporters and the caption, “District 6 understands the jewish problem.”

“He was overtly praising Hitler in his campaign,” said Aiden Harow, 22, of Boca Raton, a recent Yeshiva University graduate.

Fishback presented himself as a critic of Israel rather than of Jews. His record complicated that distinction. He invoked “the great replacement and white genocide,” a theory long associated with antisemitic claims that Jewish elites are orchestrating demographic change. He used the neo-Nazi slang term “goyslop” to describe cafeteria food and continued using it after reporters noted its origins. Campaign messages to some voters opened with “Christ is King,” a phrase far-right activists have used online against Jews.

American Jews have seen the consequences of replacement rhetoric. Far-right marchers chanted “Jews will not replace us” in Charlottesville in 2017. The 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue massacre was preceded by similar claims targeting the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.

Joshua Sayles, vice president for external affairs at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, said no one expected Fishback to win, but “some of his horrible rhetoric is making its way more and more into the mainstream.” He added that he remains “very comfortable” that Florida voters reject extremists.

Alex Hochberger, a Jewish technology strategist in Hollywood, Florida, described the Fishback effort as “an effort to build an influencer platform, not a serious candidacy.” Sid Dinerstein, a former Palm Beach County Republican Party chairman, said the two safest places for Jews are Israel and Florida.

Others were less reassured. Tammy Wagner, a 49-year-old Republican near Fort Lauderdale, said criticizing Israel is one thing. “But being antisemitic… It’s shocking to me that they got any votes. That makes me very nervous about our society.”

The primaries also featured Democratic contests that worried some Jewish voters, including the upset win of state Rep. Angie Nixon, a critic of Israel and Democratic Socialists of America member, in a Senate primary. The GOP races involving Fishback and Bilzerian drew particular attention because of their explicit antisemitic language and associations.