Political campaigns are getting creative in reaching voters.
One candidate just took things to a level nobody expected.
And a Florida GOP candidate made one move on Tinder that has Byron Donalds’ political strategists shaking their heads.
Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Launches Tinder Profile to Court Young Female Voters
James Fishback is trying to stand out in Florida's crowded 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary.
The 31-year-old investment firm CEO announced Monday he created a Tinder profile specifically to reach young female voters.
"I've joined @Tinder to meet young female voters where they are, and share my plan to make it easier for them to get married, buy a home, and raise a family," Fishback posted on X.
His profile featured a simple message: "My hottest take is… Florida should offer paid maternity leave to all moms."
Less than an hour after announcing his Tinder campaign strategy, Fishback posted an update that exposed one potential flaw in his plan.
"i ran out of likes. could someone donate so i can get tinder plus?" he wrote.
Dating apps have become an unusual battleground in modern politics.
During the 2020 and 2024 elections, activists used apps like Hinge and Tinder to reach voters in swing states.
The practice called "Hinge-banking" involved volunteers setting their location to battleground areas and encouraging matches to vote.
But Fishback's approach differs from those grassroots efforts.
He's running as an official candidate trying to connect with voters through a platform traditionally used for romance.
A Crowded Republican Field Fighting for Governor's Mansion
Fishback faces an uphill battle in the Republican primary scheduled for August 18, 2026.
He's running to succeed term-limited Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The Republican field includes U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins.
Donalds holds a significant advantage with President Donald Trump's endorsement and has raised more than $30 million.
Fishback has positioned himself as a conservative outsider focused on affordability issues.
His platform includes halting H-1B visas, blocking AI data centers, eliminating homestead property taxes, and banning investment firms from purchasing single-family homes.
The candidate has also proposed a 50% "sin tax" on OnlyFans creators and mandatory school uniforms for all Florida public school students.
Fishback appeared on Tucker Carlson's podcast in January, where Carlson offered his support.
https://twitter.com/WallStreetApes/status/2010154662947860729
But the candidate has drawn criticism for statements deemed controversial by the establishment media elites, including calling Donalds "a slave to his corporate donors."
Apparently they think using Fishback that term is racist when the color of Donalds’ skin has nothing to do with who he is beholden to.
Here's the thing about young voters — they're not watching cable news or reading newspapers.
They're scrolling TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube between classes and lunch breaks.
That's 41 million potential voters who get their political news from the same apps they use to watch dance videos.
So dating apps figured out they needed to get political too.
Tinder added stickers so users can show they're voting and what issues they care about.
The Right Stuff, the conservative dating app former Trump aide John McEntee helped launch, goes even further with prompts asking users to finish sentences like "January 6 was…"
The big question is whether any of this actually works.
Getting someone to swipe right on your campaign message is one thing.
Getting them to show up at the polls on election day is something else entirely.
Fishback's betting that young women swiping through Tinder profiles want to hear about his maternity leave policy between potential dates.
That's either genius or completely tone-deaf, and we'll find out which when Florida votes in August.
Sources:
- Fox News, "Florida GOP candidate launches Tinder account to campaign to young female voters," February 3, 2026.
- WFLA, "Florida governor race heats up with bold policies, sharp words," January 16, 2026.
- Wikipedia, "James Fishback," February 2, 2026.
- CBS12, "Florida governor candidate proposes 50% 'sin tax' on OnlyFans earnings," January 15, 2026.
- CNN Business, "Swipe right. People are using dating apps to reach voters in swing states," November 2, 2020.
- APN News, "The Swipe Right Generation: How Tinder Singles Could Determine the 2024 Election," July 30, 2024.
