The two are meeting on Wednesday for their second and final debate

Florida governor candidates Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis have exchanged sharp personal barbs in a heated second — and final — debate before voters take to the polls next month to determine which candidate will lead their state for the next four years.

The pair dragged one another through the mud on the debate stage at Broward College in Davie, Florida, where they were asked to describe their plan for the state on issue ranging from the environment, immigration, healthcare, and education.

But, they repeatedly returned to personal attacks in the process, suggesting the race has turned into an all-out verbal brawl as the candidates enter the home stretch of an election that has drawn national attention as something of a proxy to larger political headwinds in America.

“We have seen the collapsing of our political discourse,” Mr Gillum, the mayor of Tallahasee, said early in the debate when asked about a string of pipe bombs that had been sent to the offices and homes of Democratic leaders across the country on Wednesday. “My opponent, endorsed by him, has run this race very, very close to the Trump handbook, where we call each other names, where we run false advertisements”.

Mr DeSantis, a former US congressman with the backing of President Donald Trump, repeatedly attacked Mr Gillum over text messages that were recently revealed showing the Tallahassee governor communicating about receiving tickets to the play Hamilton that were provided by an undercover FBI agent.

“He wants you believe that he’s not under investigation,” Mr DeSantis said. “Why would an undercover FBI agent posing as a contractor give you a ticket to Hamilton?”

US midterms Show all 15 1 /15 US midterms US midterms US midterms Candidates are fighting for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives. The lower house of the United States Congress currently has a Republican majority Getty US midterms US midterms 33 of the 100 seats in the US Senate are up for grabs. The upper house of the United States Congress currently has a Democratic majority AFP/Getty US midterms US midterms President Barack Obama is braced for a potential clobbering from voters. If the Republicans emerge as the majority party in the Senate, the impact would be considerable Getty US midterms US midterms Michelle Nunn: Democratic US Senate candidate for Atlanta, Georgia Getty US midterms US midterms Nunn is in a tight race with Republican candidate David Perdue Getty US midterms US midterms Jason Carter: Democratic candidate for Governor of Georgia. The grandson of 39th US President, Jimmy Carter, is surging against the incumbent Republican Nathan Deal Getty US midterms US midterms In Florida Charlie Crist, once a Republican governor of the state, now turned Democrat, is trying to oust Rick Scott, the Republican incumbent Getty US midterms US midterms Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is hoping to win a second term If he does, he will be considered possible presidential material Getty US midterms US midterms Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York, is also a possible future president, this time for the Democrats Getty US midterms US midterms Will Martha Coakley, a former Massachusetts Attorney General, be elected as the next Democratic governor of that state? AFP/Getty US midterms US midterms And an incumbent John Hickenlooper hang on for the Democrats as Governor of Colorado? Getty US midterms US midterms People will inevitably be thinking about the 2016 presidential contest. Hilary Clinton has her eyes on the prize as the forerunner in the Democratic race Getty US midterms US midterms Potential Republican Presidential candidates include Senator Rand Paul... Getty US midterms US midterms ... Republican Senator Ted Cruz Getty US midterms US midterms And former Florida Governor Jeb Bush Getty

The Democrat has repeatedly insisted that he has been told he is not the subject of an FBI investigation, but recognised that his handling of the situation has led to problems. There is no indication that the FBI is investigating Mr Gillum.

“I take responsibility for not having asked more questions,” Mr Gillum said during the debate, noting that he was under the impression that his brother had returned the favor for the Hamilton tickets by giving Beyoncé and Jay-Z tickets to the individual they received the play tickets from. “But let me tell you, I’m running for governor. In the state of Florida we have many issues. And tickets to Hamilton ain’t one of them.”

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