JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback is calling upon Governor Ron DeSantis to serve as the sole moderator for the upcoming primary debate, set to take place in Jacksonville on July 15.

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The primary will see Fishback take on fellow Republicans Paul Renner, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, and Rep. Byron Donalds (who has already received endorsement from President Donald Trump) to see who will become the Republican nominee.

READ: James Fishback joins Orlando’s Morning News for exclusive interview

The debate will be held at the University of North Florida before a live audience. According to Fishback, that debate should be moderated by one person, and one person only: Florida’s current governor.

READ: Lt. Gov. Jay Collins joins Orlando’s Morning News for exclusive interview

“There is no more qualified person to moderate this debate,” Fishback said in a video announcement calling for DeSantis to take on the role. “[The governor] knows the issues better than anyone because he has worked on them for the past eight years. He built the record we are all competing to build on. He should be the one asking us questions.”

Throughout his campaign, Fishback has listed DeSantis as a political inspiration, praising his platform and sharing his wish to “build on DeSantis’s legacy.”

He has specifically highlighted DeSantis’s “major policy fights on law and order, education, and immigration, and public safety” as key reasons for his being “uniquely positioned” to question the Republican candidates.

Governor DeSantis has not yet responded to Fishback’s request.

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