Race is on for governor
Putnam playing catch-up to DeSantis in GOP race
TALLAHASSEE — Before the Tea Party movement, back when Donald Trump was a reality TV show host, Adam Putnam would have been the odds-on favorite to be the Republican nominee for governor.
Two months ago, the agriculture commissioner with decades of experience as an elected official was ahead in the polls against U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis. Putnam also had a comfortable lead in fundraising and carried a slew of business and conservative group endorsements.
That all changed after President Trump tweeted his official endorsement of DeSantis on June 22 and the DeSantis campaign released ads highlighting his backing. Trump followed up the endorsement with a rally with DeSantis in Tampa on July 31 that brought more national media attention.
After leading DeSantis 32 percent to 17 percent on June 21 in a Fox News poll, Putnam now trails DeSantis 41 to 29 percent, with 28 percent
undecided, according to a Mason-Dixon poll released July 27.
The turn shows how loyalty to Trump has become its own issue in the Aug. 28 primary. DeSantis has slammed Putnam for criticizing Trump during the 2016 campaign when the “Access Hollywood” tape containing Trump’s vulgar sexual comments in 2005 was made public. Putnam called the comments “vile and obscene.”
Putnam entered the race last year, pairing corporate donations with tours of the state, meeting with small GOP gatherings. He released policy positions and highlighted proposals like boosting vocational education.
When DeSantis entered the race, Putnam scoffed at DeSantis, saying he couldn’t run Florida from a “Washington TV studio” – a reference to DeSantis’ frequent visits on Fox News.
Here’s a closer look at the race:
Who they are
Putnam, 44, comes from a citrus farming family in Bartow. He was first elected to the Florida House in 1996 at the age of 22. In 2000 he was elected to Congress, serving 10 years in the U.S. House before winning election as Agriculture Commissioner in 2010 and reelection in 2014.
That extensive record in office has been bashed by DeSantis’ campaign, particularly his votes to bail out banks in 2008 at the onset of the Great Recession and in favor of an immigration bill in 2009 that would’ve set up a guest worker program for illegal immigrants.
DeSantis, 39, was born in Jacksonville and went to high school in Dunedin, and went on to graduate from Yale and Harvard Law School. He served in the Iraq War as a member of the U.S. Navy from 2007-2008.
DeSantis was first elected to Congress in 2012, winning a seven-way GOP primary and going on to win the general election in a heavily Republican district in northeast Florida. He also announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in 2016, but withdrew after incumbent Marco Rubio changed his mind to run for reelection after he lost the presidential primary to Trump.
Since Trump took office in 2017, DeSantis has been one of his staunchest defenders, proposing an amendment to block funds for the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election led by Robert Mueller.
Where they stand
Putnam has bashed DeSantis for not taking positions on major issues and hoping to coast to victory on Trump’s endorsement and Fox News fame without laying out an agenda for governing the state. At the last of two debates earlier this month, Putnam said DeSantis was running as a “’Seinfeld’ candidate” – a campaign about nothing.
DeSantis has given few hints of how he’d govern the state, other than cracking down on illegal immigration. His spokesman told the Tampa Bay Times this month it is running a “shoestring campaign” and won’t detail his stance on issues during the primary but suggested that would come during the general election.
Meanwhile, Putnam laid out a plan to bring vocational training in electronics, coding, manufacturing and other fields into high schools. He wants to continue Gov. Rick Scott’s recipe for the economy — cut taxes and reduce regulations.
Both candidates have declared their support for gun rights, and the National Rifle Association has given both candidates high marks. Putnam received an “A+” and DeSantis an “A,” but the group didn’t make an endorsement in the race.
How they differ
DeSantis has attacked Putnam for being soft on immigration, pointing to his 2009 vote and to his support for a 2013 bill as agriculture commissioner, which he calls a vote for “amnesty.” Putnam disagrees with that characterization and has vowed to work with Trump to crack down on “sanctuary cities,” although there are virtually no cities with such policies in Florida.
U.S. Sugar’s support for Putnam is another source of contention. DeSantis likens Putnam to an “errand boy” for the industry, which has fought plans to use land south of Lake Okeechobee to store runoff water.
The water discharges have led to toxic algal bloom outbreaks in estuaries on both coasts, fouling the water and killing marine life. Putnam has defended the donations from the sugar industry and called for long-term solutions to protect water quality.
The candidates also are split on the state’s economic development organizations, Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida. The entities use taxpayer dollars to lure business to relocate or expand in the state and to draw in tourists.
Putnam backs the approach of Gov. Rick Scott, who waged fierce battles with fellow Republicans in the Legislature the past two years to robustly fund the two groups. DeSantis, backed by the industrialist Koch brothers, favors a more muted role for the groups.
At one debate, DeSantis said he prefers to let the free market work without help from the public sector but will use the organizations to help the economy.