GOP hopefuls to debate in Kissimmee
TALLAHASSEE – Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis will square off in Kissimmee tonight in the first major debate of the Republican gubernatorial primary, kicking into high gear a race that has significance beyond who will be the GOP nominee for governor this fall.
The campaign pits Putnam, an establishment favorite, against DeSantis, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump and his agenda.
“This is kind of a proxy fight for the future of the Republican Party,” said DeSantis campaign spokesman Brad Herold. “You’ve got an old-guard establishment Republican who was pretty cold on the president, refused to endorse him before the [convention], wouldn’t campaign with him, and you have someone who is one of [Trump’s] most staunch defenders in Congress.”
DeSantis received Trump’s Twitter endorsement on Friday but trails in recent polls to Putnam.
“The stakes are pretty high for both candidates,” said UCF political science professor Aubrey Jewett. “Over 50 percent of the voters haven’t made a choice yet between the top two nominees. For Putnam, I’m sure he’s glad he’s ahead in the polls, but he can’t be feeling too comfortable.
“And for DeSantis, although he would rather be in first than in second, he certainly has reason for optimism that he can grow his base,” Jewett added.
The one-hour debate, which will be nationally televised on Fox News starting at 6:30 p.m., is the main event of the Florida Republican Party’s two-day summit at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center. But the leader of the Florida GOP, Gov. Rick Scott, whom Putnam and DeSantis want to replace, won’t be there.
Scott, who is running for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson, will be fundraising in Washington, D.C., instead. He’s also broken with Trump on some issues as he courts independent voters for his Senate run and will avoid a summit embracing Trump’s stances.
“In some ways, you think this could be sort of a victory lap from two terms as governor and then help prime the pump for the Senate run,” Jewett said. “It certainly is probably a political calculation by the Scott team that not going slightly increases his chances of winning compared to going.”
Putnam, 43, comes from a citrus farming family and was first elected to the Florida House in 1996 at age 22. He went on to serve five terms in Congress before returning to run for Agriculture Commissioner in 2010, winning then and again in 2014.
He comes into the campaign touting a Fox News poll showing him up 32 percent to 17 percent over DeSantis. His campaign is shrugging off Trump’s endorsement of DeSantis.
“As the Fox News poll indicates, grass roots momentum behind Adam Putnam’s Florida First vision continues to grow,” Putnam campaign spokeswoman Meredith Beatrice wrote in an email. “Adam looks forward to working with President Trump as Florida’s next governor to keep our economy thriving, taxes low and our borders secure.”
But the also showed 39 percent were undecided, with another 12 percent choosing “none” or “other” candidate. The DeSantis camp sees those numbers as evidence support for Putnam is soft.
Putnam has come under fire from Democrats for a year-long lapse in reviewing background checks for concealed carry permit holders and a recent rollercoaster accident in Daytona Beach the same day the ride was given a clean inspection by Putnam’s department. Putnam’s donors, including Publix and Disney, have been met with protests by gun control activists for his support of the National Rifle Association.
DeSantis, 39, was born in Jacksonville and graduated from Yale and Harvard Law School, joining the U.S. Navy and serving in Iraq from 2007-2008. He was first elected to Congress in 2012, winning a heavily GOP north Florida district.