TAMPA, FLA. (WSVN) - It has been a hotly contested race from the start, and it all comes to a head in Tampa as Florida’s two gubernatorial candidates are set to square off face-to-face.
Former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum will be taking the stage at the city’s PBS studios beginning at 8 p.m., Sunday. The debate, set to air on CNN, will give both candidates a chance to connect with voters before they head to the polls Nov. 6.
On the Republican side, DeSantis has touted his service to the country.
“I am Ron DeSantis. I’m a veteran. I’m a husband and a father,” he said during a speech.
His Democratic opponent said he’s overcome one challenge after another to emerge victorious.
“I’ve always been an underdog. I like that position,” said Gillum. “I’ve never lost a race since third grade, and I’m not trying to lose again.”
Meanwhile, DeSantis said he and his running mate, Jeanette Nuñez, have a clear agenda for the issues currently affecting Floridians.
“Jeanette and I are focused on our economic message, our education message, our environmental message and then the need, obviously, to maintain public safety,” he said. “Those are the core bread-and-butter issues that are gonna affect Floridians.”
DeSantis, who represented southern Jacksonville to Daytona Beach, vacated his congressional seat to campaign full time.
Gillum, who has served in his Tallahassee post since 2014, pulled a big upset in the Democratic primary.
DeSantis drew national criticism for the following comment when talking about his black Democratic challenger right after the primary.
“Let’s build off the success we had with Governor Scott. The last thing we want to do is monkey this up,” he said.
DeSantis was forced to defend the comment many saw as stoking racial tensions.
“I didn’t wanna drop an F-bomb on national TV,” he said, “but I really think socialist policies will mess up the state’s economic direction. There was zero racial about it.”
But on the trail, Gillum has pushed back when being called a socialist.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say we ought to expand Medicaid for over 800,000 of the most needy people and pull down $6 billion from the federal government in the process,” he said.
Gillum addressed his own controversy surrounding a multi-year FBI investigation into his city government, a corruption probe Republicans are seizing on.
In a prepared statement, Gillum said, “I am confident that I have done nothing wrong, nothing unethical and nothing illegal.”
Both candidates have been vocal about the environmental challenges the Sunshine State faces.
“We affect the environment, and I don’t think there’s any question about that,” said DeSantis.
Gillum wants to convert Florida to cleaner energy.
“We ought to recognize that global warming and climate change are a real thing,” he said during a stump speech.
On education, DeSantis has pledged to boost classroom spending and promote vocational schools amid climbing college tuition costs.
“We’re gonna stress skills-based training, vocational training,” he said. “Preparing people for skilled trades, preparing people for opportunities in computers and technology.”
Gillum, meanwhile, has proposed increasing the state’s education budget and raising teachers’ salaries.
“[I propose] a $1 billion investment in our public schools, students, and teachers to boost early childhood education, raise teachers’ starting salaries to $50,000, restore public school construction funds, and increase SHOP 2.0 vocational training,” he said in a statement.
“I don’t think it is radical to say that teachers ought to be paid what they are worth,” Gillum said.
DeSantis is attempting to keep conservative control of the governor’s seat in Florida.
Gillum has potential to make history on Election Day. If he wins, he would be Florida’s first black governor and the state’s first Democratic governor in nearly 20 years.
Polls show DeSantis and Gillum in a statistical dead heat. However, a newly released CNN poll has Gillum leading his opponent by 12 points.
Because of the tight race, some well-known political figures have expressed their support for both candidates. Sunday morning, President Donald Trump posted a tweet in support of DeSantis. Former Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to join Gillum in Tampa, Monday afternoon.
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