Candidates For Governor And Attorney General Clash

HELLO, I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US WITH THE NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION 5 WEEKS AWAY. THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL IS HEATING UP, ESPECIALLY IN THE RACE FOR FLORIDA'S GOVERNOR. JOINING ME NOW FOR A LOOK AT THE LATEST IS WGCU HOSTS AND REPORTER JOHN DAVIS, AND JOHN, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE BYRON DONALDS RECENTLY LAUNCHED A NEW CAMPAIGN WEB SITE. AND IN THAT WEB SITE, THERE ARE MULTIPLE REFERENCES TO PRESIDENT TRUMP THAT ARE NO LONGER THERE WAS GOING ON WITH THIS. >> RIGHT. SO THE DONALDS CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED THIS NEW WEBSITE LAST TUESDAY AND IT DID RAISE EYEBROWS BECAUSE MOST OF THE REFERENCES TO PRESIDENT TRUMP THAT HAD BEEN ON THE SITE WERE REMOVED. NOW THE DONALDS CAMPAIGN SAYS THAT THIS HAS BEEN PART OF THEIR STRATEGY FOR A LONG TIME. BAY HAVE BEEN LOOKING TO SHIFT THE WEBSITE, FOCUS MORE TOWARDS PRIORITY ISSUES AFTER THE PRIMARIES. BUT THEY'VE UNDERSTANDABLY BEEN VERY AS A CAMPAIGNING ACROSS THE STATE AND IT TOOK LONGER THAN THEY INTENDED TO. BUT NO, THEY'RE SAYING THIS IS NOT ABOUT BYRON DONALDS TRYING TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM THE PRESIDENT NECESSARILY. BUT AGAIN, IT AGAIN, IT'S RAISING EYEBROWS BECAUSE OF TRUMP'S HISTORICALLY LOW APPROVAL RATINGS, YOU KNOW, AT OR BELOW 30%, DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LOOK AND, YOU KNOW, JUST AGAIN, AT THE SAME TIME, DONALD SAYS THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT. AND HE AND TRUMP HAVE BOTH JUST SAID FOR, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A FAKE NEWS STORY. WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESPONSE FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE DONALDS CAMPAIGN SO LAST SATURDAY TRUMP CONDEMNED, YOU KNOW, THE MEDIA REPORTS THAT HAD COME OUT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HIS NAME BEING TAKEN FROM DONALDS CAMPAIGN WEBSITE AND TOUTING UPCOMING RALLIES. HE'S GOING TO BE HAVING IN FLORIDA AIMED AT HELPING DONALD AIMED AT HELPING THE REPUBLICAN U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE ASHLEY MOODY. OTHER REPUBLICANS RUNNING AND HE'S ALSO ACTUALLY USE THIS AS FURTHER JUSTIFICATION FOR HIS RECENT EFFORTS TO BAR SPECIFIC NEWS ORGANIZATIONS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. THE DONALD HAS ALSO DOUBLED DOWN. HE TOLD REPORTERS ON MIAMI BEACH LAST SATURDAY THAT, OF COURSE HE'S GOING TO BE CAMPAIGNING WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP WHEN HE COMES TO THE STATE AND ACTUALLY, JD VANCE IS GOING TO BE HOLDING A RALLY IN LAKELAND ON THURSDAY. THAT'S GOING TO BE IN SUPPORT OF, YOU KNOW, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ON THE BALLOT IN FLORIDA IN GENERAL. AND THEN ON FRIDAY THERE'S GOING TO BE A TRUMP RALLY AND MOBILE, ALABAMA, THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE SAYS THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS IS AND ALABAMA THAT, YOU KNOW, IT COULD REACH VOTERS ON THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. SO THEY'RE CONSIDERING THAT SOMETHING THAT COULD POTENTIALLY HELP DONALD'S AS WELL. >> AND WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE, DAVID JOLLY. >> SO DAVID JOLLY RECENTLY ON ON FRIDAY, IME DOES PITCH TO THE TAMPA BAY TIGER BAY CLUB. BUT INTERESTINGLY AFTER THAT EVENT, HE WAS SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AND REALLY KIND OF CALLED OUT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE SAYING THAT WITHOUT THEIR SUPPORT, HE COULD LOSE THIS RACE. HE REALLY WANTS DEMOCRATS, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ON A NATIONAL LEVEL TO SORT OF TAKE RACES IN FLORIDA OR SERIOUSLY PUT MORE EFFORT INTO THEM AND MAYBE REALIZE THAT THEY ARE MORE COMPETITIVE THAN THEY HAVE BEEN IN RECENT YEARS PAST AND LATEST FINANCIAL REPORTS SHOW DONALD HAS RAISED MORE THAN 7 TIMES MORE THAN JOLLY. SO, YEAH, YOU COULD CERTAINLY USE AT LEAST SOME FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY. >> NOW, WE HAVE TALKED RECENTLY ABOUT THE FACT THAT FOR THE STATEWIDE OFFICES, THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO DEBATE THAT ARE SCHEDULED. I KNOW WGCU IS WORKING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO TRY TO PROVIDE A FORUM IN THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S RACE. WHAT IS THE LATEST ON THIS? >> YEAH. SO AS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL REPUBLICAN JAMES UTHMEIER HAS NOT AGREED TO WORK FOR HIM EITHER. ALONE OR WITH HIS DEMOCRATIC OPPONENT, JOSE JAVIER RODRIGUEZ. BUT RODRIGUEZ SAYS HE WAS ON BOARD WITH WHATEVER. SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH A NONPARTISAN NONPROFIT FLORIDIANS FOR DEMOCRACY, TOO. DO AN EVENT LIKE THAT. WE ARE GOING TO GO AHEAD ON OCTOBER 9TH AND WE'RE GOING TO HOLD THAT EVENT JUST WITH THE DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATE JOSE JAVIER RODRIGUEZ, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE FROM 07:00PM TO 08:00PM THE FRIDAY AFTER NEXT OCTOBER 9TH. I'LL BE MODERATING THAT. AND JUST ON THE OFF CHANCE THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OR ANYBODY FROM HIS CAMPAIGN HAPPENS TO CATCH THIS CONVERSATION, OUR INVITATION REMAINS OPEN. WE WOULD LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH YOU. >> ALL RIGHT, JOHN DAVIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE.