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Trump visits Florida to back GOP candidates; Gillum rallies Democrats

By Clyde Hughes

Nov. 1 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump visited Florida late Wednesday to rally supporters behind two Republican candidates in key races that have national implications.

Stumping in Fort Myers, Trump attacked incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum.

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The president praised Gillum's opponent, Republican Ron DeSantis, as the best candidate to succeed Gov. Rick Scott, who is challenging Nelson for his Senate seat.

"In Tallahassee, they've had the highest crime rate," Trump said at the rally. "[Gillum] cannot keep Florida safe."

Trump chided Nelson and suggested he only visits the state during campaign season.

"I am here a lot and I never see Sen. Nelson until six months before the election," Trump said.

Joining Trump at the rally, DeSantis said Gillum was part of a current FBI corruption probe in Tallahassee, leading to crowd chants of "lock him up." The chant was common at Trump rallies in 2016, aimed then at Hillary Clinton.

Gillum on Wednesday campaigned in northern Florida, rallying hundreds and urging them to make a change on election day Tuesday. He visited a Destin, Fla., restaurant in Okaloosa County, which gave Scott 75 percent of the vote in the 2014 gubernatorial race.

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"I don't care if you're Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis, if you come after Florida or you come after Floridians, you are going to have to come through me," Gillum told the crowd.

"[I've] got nothing in common with Donald Trump. Nothing. But buddy, if you're going to send me $2.8 billion for Floridians, I'm going to take it," he said, referring to Scott turning down federal funds for Medicaid and high-speed rail offered by the administration of former President Barack Obama.

The race between Gillum and DeSantis remains close in the final days of the campaigns, with most polls showing a difference of just a few points between the candidates.

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