BRANDON - Adam Putnam aligned himself with President Donald Trump and separated himself from his top opponent in Florida's Aug. 28 Republican primary for governor before 100 business leaders, retirees and families inside Moreno Bakery Monday afternoon.
The intimate setting created a stark contrast to the Florida State Fairgrounds rally where Trump drew 10,000 people and endorsed Putnam's gubernatorial rival, Congressman Ron DeSantis.
Just 30 miles from his hometown of Bartow, Putnam, the state's current agricultural commissioner, played off the difference and offered a grass roots appeal.
"This right here is why we're going to win," Putnam told the crowd. "This is people power. This is the same kind of energy, the same kind of passion that put President Trump into the White House and it's going to put me into the governor's mansion."
Putnam, who at 44 has spent half of his life in office, shared ideas about putting vocational and technical training back into middle and high schools to help development of the work force. He said he would place an emphasis on education, supporting parents and teachers while concurrently protecting Florida's public safety.
He also touted the endorsements he has from sheriffs, farmers and ranchers while joking that President Trump "got some bad advice on his endorsement" of DeSantis.
"This is what conservative leadership looks like," Putnam said, stating his campaign has knocked on 400,000 doors throughout the state. "We put families first. We put small businesses first. You take care of small business : big business is going to be just fine."
Susan Moreno, who along with husband Jose, owns Brandon's most popular bakery, said she hosted the event more for community reasons than political or business.
"If Gwen Graham for example wanted to come here, I would let her come here too," Moreno said. "I just think it's a good chance for people to talk and I don't think we do enough of that."
Contact Eric Vician at hillsnews@tampabay.com.