Alex Sink and Rick Scott duke it out in TV debate listen

Tags: 2010 election, Alex Sink, Bill Clinton, Rick Scott

Florida's CFO Alex Sink is battling Rick Scott to become the state's next governor.

photo by Seán Kinane/WMNF (Nov. 2008)

Florida's gubernatorial candidates went head to head last night in a lively debate at Nova Southeastern University in Davie. Polls show Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Alex Sink in a close race that's coming right down to the wire.

True to a playbook that he's used earlier in the campaign, Scott portrayed Sink, Florida's Chief Financial Officer, as a failed fiscal watchdog.

Sink responded after Scott coined a new term for her fiscal plan: he called it "Obama Math."

But Sink took issue with the suggestion that she would raise taxes in order to save $700 million in the budget. She called that a "fairy tale fabrication."

Sink got in a few jabs of her own. She called Scott a corporate raider who bought and shut down hospitals in his previous job as CEO of a large hospital chain.

Other topics included the state’s role in trying to stop foreclosures. Scott said creating jobs was the answer. In an exchange, Scott was pushed for a more direct response to the question.

Meanwhile Alex Sink told the panel she has already put a program into place to help with foreclosures.

Scott spent a lot of time trying to dodge direct questions such as from St. Petersburg Times reporter Adam Smith, who asked Scott about his time as CEO of a hospital chain charged with fraud.

Former President Bill Clinton joins Alex Sink today in an election rally at Miami-Dade College.