Randy Fine charges Duval County Committeeman candidate with ‘blatant antisemitism’

The normally low-profile races for Duval County’s state committee slots are getting unusual scrutiny, with the only elected Jewish Republican in the Legislature lashing out at a series of tweets from a candidate that amount to “blatant antisemitism.”

That’s the argument from Brevard County state Rep. Randy Fine, who said various X posts from Nathan Tocco are out of bounds due to their embrace of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel language and positions.

“The Republican Party of Florida proudly stands with Israel and the Jewish people. The Florida GOP doesn’t want Nazis like this clown Nathan Tocco anywhere near Republican leadership,” Fine posted.

Fine offered various screenshots to support his position, including one from Dec. 13, 2023, where Tocco suggested that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem earned “shekels” for denouncing antisemitism, and one from Dec. 22, 2023, where Tocco claimed UFOs were “spiritual beings (Demonic) that our Zionist CIA summoned through occult ritual.”

In another screenshot from Jan. 29, 2024, Tocco takes issue with members of Congress who “hold dual citizenship with Israel.” He called for the deportation of those holding dual citizenship in another tweet the same day.

The next day, Tocco responded to a Joe Biden tweet, suggesting the President isn’t “strong enough to resist the Israel lobby.”

Feb. 2 saw Tocco call for expelling U.S. Rep. Brian Mast from Congress for wearing a “foreign military” uniform into the Capitol.

Fine didn’t get to everything Tocco said, including an August call for the Anti-Defamation League to be purged from X, and a July disparagement of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as bringing his “laundry” to Washington last month: “demanding hundreds of millions of dollars what’s a few suitcases of dirty clothes to top it off.”

“Crazy after AIPAC spending $400,000 against him (during) his primary he didn’t want to show up and clap like a seal while Netanyahu begged for money and bombs,” he added in a response to Laura Loomer.

“This is political theater because they need our money and weapons, just like Zelensky and Ukraine,” Tocco told Jenna Ellis around the same time. “It’s no different. And, just like Zelensky, he enters OUR country as a guest to make demands and preach to us that it is our obligation to support him. He even has the arrogance to bring loads of dirty laundry to have us wash it. He views the US as a vassal state and I find it insulting.”

He also offered other inflammatory comments, including critiques of GOP outreach.

“Out with the whites, out with the Christians, in with the Enriques, Jamals, prayer to false gods, and p*rnstars with face tattoos. That’s Susie Wiles. Her and Chris LaCivita are ruining this party and ruining Trump’s brand. They didn’t even think the 2020 election was stolen.”

We’ve reached out to Tocco through text and phone calls Monday morning to no avail, but will update if we hear back with his side of the story.

We asked Fine, meanwhile, who was to blame for antisemitism like this being given a hearing in the Republican Party.

“He is to blame for his own antisemitism. And you can blame anyone who won’t condemn it,” the legislator said.

Fine said he will be in Jacksonville Monday to make his case in person, and no doubt he will have more to say on this subject.