FL-Gov: GOP candidates debate about who supports President Trump more

President Donald Trump may not have been present when the two Republican candidates for Florida's gubernatorial election squared off during a debate Thursday night, but he took center stage as each tried to outdo the other in stressing their loyalty to him.

Who are the candidates?

Rep. Ron DeSantis is a current Republican member of Congress.

Adam Putnam was also a member of Congress, until he left to become Florida's Agriculture Commissioner in 2010. Putnam has been endorsed by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

While multiple recent polls show Putnam with a significant 17-point lead, DeSantis managed to get an endorsement from President Donald Trump early in his candidacy.

The Florida primary is Aug. 28. Because of laws governing term limits, current Gov. Rick Scott can no longer run for governor. He decided to run for U.S. Senate.

What did they say about Trump?

The main point of contention for the two candidates during the debate was how much they supported the president.

Fox News host and debate moderator Bret Baier asked Putnam about Trump's endorsement of DeSantis: "Mr. Putnam, as you just heard, several times, President Trump has endorsed your opponent. Why is the president wrong?"

Putnam dodged the question, praising Trump, then saying that he was running a "Florida first campaign," and that he cared more about what happened in Florida than what happened in Washington, D.C.

In answer to a follow-up question, Putnam said that he "most assuredly" would endorse Trump for the presidency in 2020 and that he looks "forward to campaigning with him as governor of Florida."

"That would be the first time you ever campaigned with him," DeSantis shot back. "Because when Donald Trump was trying to win Florida in 2016, Adam Putnam did not attend a single rally with him. You couldn't find Adam Putnam if you had a search warrant."

"Look, I support our president," Putnam responded, " I support our president's agenda for our country. I support the fact that all of us paid less in taxes this year because of Trump's tax cuts. I love the fact that he's taking it to our so-called trading partners, to defend Floriday farmers, to fight for our jobs...and I love that together we get to watch America get better by the day, while Hillary explains the title of her book 'What Happened'? What happened is she lost, that's what happened."

What else did they talk about?

Politically, both candidates seemed very similar. Both defended private gun ownership while still expressing concern over recent shootings, both said that they hoped Trump would appoint a conservative to the Supreme Court, and both said that they would fire Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, who was criticized for his handling of the mass murder at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.