KISSIMMEE, Fla. - In an exchange focused more on national topics than challenges facing the next Florida governor, the two top Republican candidates to replace Gov. Rick Scott clashed in a televised debate Thursday over their support for President Donald Trump and immigration issues.
Early in the hour-long debate, which was broadcast to a national audience by Fox News, state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis quickly turned to the key themes of their campaigns.
“I’m proud to have the endorsement of President Donald Trump in this race,” said DeSantis, a three-term congressman from Palm Coast, while responding to a question about the appointment of a new U.S. Supreme Court justice.
In a question about Trump’s upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Putnam said he was proud to support Trump’s agenda, including negotiations with foreign leaders, tax cuts and efforts to improve the country’s trade policies.
“But I’m running a Florida first campaign. I care more about the schools in Washington County than what’s going on in Washington, D.C.,” said Putnam, who is also a former congressman and state lawmaker.
Putnam, who supported former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the presidential primary in 2016, was asked if he would endorse Trump in his 2020 re-election bid.
“Most assuredly. I look forward to campaigning with him as governor of Florida,” Putnam said.
But DeSantis shot back that it “would be the first time you ever campaigned with him,” noting the agriculture commissioner’s absence during Trump’s primary campaign in 2016.
“You couldn’t find Adam Putnam if you had a search warrant,” DeSantis said.
Both candidates, who will face off in the Aug. 28 primary, refused to blame Trump for
