Adam Putnam insists race isn’t over after Trump rally in Tampa

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FILE – In this June 28, 2018, file photo, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, center, meets with members of the media after a Florida Republican gubernatorial primary debate at the Republican Sunshine Summit in Kissimmee, Fla. A 2012 internal investigation released to The Associated Press after a records request found that 48 Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services employees made mistakes while issuing concealed weapons permits and armed security guard or similar licenses. Putnam, a Republican candidate for governor, was criticized last month after acknowledging that the agency revoked 291 permits awarded in 2016 and 2017 and fired an employee last year. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

In Adam Putnam’s first local news interview since President Trump rallied for his opponent, Putnam insisted voters will see past the big name.

“His thumb is a big thumb is a big thumb on the scale, but I think Floridians are smart enough to differentiate between a Washington-based approach,” Putnam said. “We’re not importing any of the Washington dysfunction down here to Florida.”

The Commissioner of Agriculture repeatably drew a contrast between himself and Rep. DeSantis, who is a regular on FOX News.

“I think it’s a fundamental point of differentiation that he’s running a Washington based campaign. He’s campaigning from a Washington D.C. studio instead of a Fort Myers TV studio,” Putnam said. “He’s not in Southwest Florida in the coffee shops and on the main street businesses.”

A WINK News investigation in July found Putnam took $425,000 in campaign donations directly from the two largest sugar companies.

Putnam responded to criticism from DeSantis that he’s in their pocket.

“There’s plenty of blame to go around, and the blame game is not going to clean up our water. We have 21 million people now living in a state that was substantially all wetlands until we drained and filled it,” Putnam said. “The Caloosahatchee (River) wasn’t even attached to Lake Okeechobee.”

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