And the winner of DeSantis vs. Putnam debate? Trump!

KISSIMMEE -- Republican gubernatorial candidates Ron DeSantis and Adam Putnam faced off in a nationally televised debate Thursday, and Donald Trump was the star of the show.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Putnam gushed about the president, vowing to support his re-election in 2020 even though Trump has endorsed DeSantis.

"I look forward to campaigning with him as governor of Florida," said the agriculture commissioner, drawing a swift rebuke from DeSantis.

"That would be the first time he ever campaigned with him because when Donald Trump was trying to win Florida in 2016, Adam Putnam did not attend a single rally with him," DeSantis said. "You couldn't find Adam Putnam if you had a search warrant."

Trump remains extremely popular among Republican primary voters, and he came up over and over again during the hour-long debate aired on Fox News.

DeSantis mentioned the president 21 times; Putnam mentioned him five times.

A rowdy crowd of 1,000 Florida GOP activists often cheered so loudly moderators Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier struggled to be heard.

Putnam, 43, took a shot at DeSantis, 39, for appearing constantly on Fox News and only sporadically on the campaign trail in Florida.

"It's completely different from a Washington D.C. studio," Putnam said of the Florida-based event. "Welcome to Florida, congressman."

DeSantis retorted he wished he could spend more time in Florida rather than fulfill his responsibilities -- especially when he missed Christmases with his family in 2006 and 2007 as a JAG officer in Guantanamo Bay serving in Guantanamo Bay and Iraq.

Multiple polls show Putnam with a double-digit lead over DeSantis.

Still, nearly one in four Republicans remain undecided according to recent surveys, and DeSantis used the nationally televised forum to cast Putnam as weak on immigration and part of the politics-as-usual crowd.

The Palm Bay Republican repeatedly noted that Putnam has supported the controversial "Gang of Eight" immigration bill and opposed an "E-Verify" program aimed at requiring Florida employers to check a potential employee's legal status.

"He won't do that because the Big Ag donors that fund his campaign want that cheap labor," DeSantis said.

Putnam responded by falsely accusing DeSantis of supporting welfare for illegal immigrants.

As the topic of Trump kept coming up, Putnam deflected with his campaign mantra: Florida First.

"I care more about the schools in Washington County than what's going on in Washington, DC. I care more about what's going on in Ruskin, Fla., with congestion and infrastructure and the quality of our water than I do about what's going on in Russia," Putnam said. "And I care about the other St. Petersburg -- St. Petersburg, Fla."

Both candidates touted their commitment to fighting gun control, and Putnam defended his agency's record which included issuing concealed weapons permits to 291 people who were later deemed ineligible.

"Floridians are safe," Putnam said. "The individual who let us down is no longer in our department and I held them accountable. That's what leaders do."

Responded DeSantis: "He didn't act like a leader because he covered it up. It was discovered by the media," referencing a Tampa Bay Times story that first reported the lapse from Putnam's office.

Democratic candidates running for governor include Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham of Tallahassee, investor and former U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene of Palm Beach, developer Chris King of Winter Park, and investor and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine.

The primary is Aug. 28.

Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau staff writer Emily L. Mahoney contributed to this story. Contact Adam C. Smith at asmith@tampabay.com. Follow @adamsmithtimes.