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Flags were at half staff at the State Capitol Wednesday, honoring talk show host Rush Limbaugh, but not on any other state building.

This may be the first time honoring some who has died by lowering flags has taken a political turn.

Flags have been lowered 56 times since Ron DeSantis took office.

None though, has been as controversial as the honor for talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

In a tweet, the lone statewide elected Democrat objected to Limbaugh.

Nikki Fried had vowed to ignore the Governor’s order on buildings and state agricultural areas under her control.

“To lower the flag for an individual who spent his entire life talking hate speech, bigotry, racism, demeaning women, conspiracy theories. That is not what we want to teach the next generation to idolize,” said Fried.

This is the first notable incident where a flag order has spurred such criticism, but some say it may not only be about flags.

Last week Fried posted a video highly critical of the Governor.

“You won’t here this from Governor DeSantis,” said Fried in the video. “We feel your hurt. Florida can and will do better.”

“I think what you’re really seeing is the opening shot in the Democratic primary,” said former GOP political strategist Mac Stipanovich.

Stipanovich, a longtime GOP Political insider turned independent, believes Fried has her sights on 2022.

“I think what Nikki’s doing is to signal unequivocally to her potential opponents that she’s going to make the race, and they need to take that into their calculations,” said Stipanovich.

The Flag Protocol posted on the Governor’s Office website mentions only former officials and people considered heroes, but nothing in the protocol prohibits the Governor from honoring someone else.

In addition to Limbaugh, the flags have been lowered four separate times this year for fallen law enforcement officers, Parkland and Holocaust victims, and a deceased mayor.