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FL-Gov, Sen: One last look at the candidates for governor, Senate before Floridians go to the polls
Republican Ron DeSantis (left) and Democrat Andrew Gillum debate at Broward College on Oct. 24 in Davie, Florida. DeSantis, Gillum, and U.S. Senate candidates Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) are locked in tight races heading into the midterm elections Tuesday. (Wilfredo Lee-Pool/Getty Images)

FL-Gov, Sen: One last look at the candidates for governor, Senate before Floridians go to the polls

With only a day to go until the midterm elections, Florida candidates for governor are polling within the margin for error, while the candidates for U.S. Senate are locked in a tight race of their own. Before voters go to the polls Tuesday, here's one last look at the candidates.

Who are the candidates again?

Current Gov. Rick Scott (R) is challenging Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who is running for his fourth term in the U.S. Senate.

Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis and Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum are running for the governorship left by a term-limited Scott.

What about the issues?

While Nelson has come out strongly against President Donald Trump's plan to do away with the U.S. policy of birthright citizenship, Scott hasn't come out strongly either way.

“I believe legal immigration makes us a better and stronger country,” Scott said in a statement after being pressed on the issue, “but illegal immigration does the opposite. I have not seen the details of what the president is suggesting and would need to fully review the proposal.”

Trump had said that he would use an executive order to end birthright citizenship, but legal scholars are conflicted on whether or not that would violate the U.S. Constitution. If he did try such an executive order, the case would undoubtedly be sent to the Supreme Court.

When it comes to health care, Nelson strongly supported former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. Although Scott has said he is against cuts to Medicare and Social Security, he strongly opposed the Affordable Care Act.

Turning to the race for governor, Gillum has advocated expanding Medicaid, while DeSantis has argued against it.

What about the controversies?

“Now, I’m not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist,” Gillum said during a debate. “I’m simply saying the racists believe he’s a racist.”

During a Fox News interview in August, DeSantis had warned viewers that “the last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state.”

Gillum's supporters raced to condemn DeSantis's remarks as racist, while Gillum said that it was clear DeSantis was taking a page out of “the campaign manual of Donald Trump.” If Gillum wins on Tuesday, he will be the first African-American governor of Florida.

Meanwhile, Gillum has been beset with questions about spending during his tenure as mayor of Tallahassee, and about how closely an FBI investigation of the city's government was looking into Gillum. The Tallahassee mayor has staunchly denied any wrongdoing, and said that he was at no point a target of the investigation.

What have the candidates been saying?

Trump has argued that the midterm elections are really about him, and Gillum and DeSantis seem to agree. At a rally with singer Jimmy Buffet on Saturday, Gillum called on those listening to “reject the politics of Trump-ism where we’re being convinced we’ve got to step on our neighbor’s shoulder and on their backs ... in order for us to get ahead.”

DeSantis, meanwhile, has touted an endorsement from Trump, who showed up Saturday to headline a rally for him and Scott. Despite the rally, Scott has taken a more reserved approach to Trump, not denouncing him but not hyping his endorsement either.

What do the polls say?

Just a day before Election Day, polls show both sets of candidates locked in statistical ties. An NBC News/Marist poll released on Monday shows Gillum with a slight lead of 50 percent to 46 percent over DeSantis, with a margin of error of 5 percent.

A poll by St. Pete Polls showed Nelson ahead of Scott by exactly the same amount, 50 percent to 46 percent, but this poll had a 1.8 percent margin for error.

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