Florida's 2nd gubernatorial debate turns into fracas on race and corruption, with memorable one-liners

Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis square off in gubernatorial debate
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/Andrew Gillum Campaign)

Democrat Andrew Gillum and Republican Ron DeSantis held their second and final Florida gubernatorial debate on Wednesday night, and their hour-long face-off touched on a lot of policy issues — gun safety, minimum wage, immigration, and education. But the debate ultimately "boiled down to two issues: race and corruption," Politico reports.

On race, DeSantis appeared to get flustered when moderator Todd McDermott asked him about his associations with white supremacists and financial backers who used racist language. He interrupted McDermott to call his unfinished question "McCarthyist" and suggest incorrectly that McDermott was wrong about racist statements David Horowitz made at a conference DeSantis participated in. "How the hell am I supposed to know every single statement somebody makes?" DeSantis said when McDermott noted that Horowitz had indeed made the comments at the conference. "I am not going to bow down to the altar of political correctness."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.