Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis faced off against Democratic challenger Charlie Crist on Monday evening in Fort Pierce, Florida, for their only gubernatorial debate before the midterm elections.

The fiery debate between the two had been originally scheduled for Oct. 12 but was postponed due to Hurricane Ian.

It was a rare moment for voters to see DeSantis operating under pressure. DeSantis, who is currently leading in the polls, has rarely appeared outside of scripted media moments and favors interviews with conservative media outlets.

Crist, a one-term governor of Florida and former congressman, engaged DeSantis on topics from abortion to Hurricane Ian and attacked DeSantis for being more concerned with a possible White House run than governing Florida. DeSantis circumvented the question and the moderator reminded Crist that the candidates had agreed to not direct questions toward one another.

"You won't even say if you want to be the governor of Florida after this election," Crist stated after DeSantis avoided answering if he would serve a full term if re-elected.

DeSantis centered his responses on Crist's association with President Joe Biden, claiming that rising prices in Florida were because of Democrat voting patterns.

DeSantis had praised Biden in earlier weeks over his response Hurricane Ian, but Biden's approval rating have lagged in Florida and DeSantis appeared to use the low numbers to attack Crist. Biden could face off against DeSantis if the governor pursues a White House bid in 2024.

Hurricane Ian was another sticking point in the debate. Crist blamed DeSantis for the injuries and fatalities from the storm, claiming that DeSantis was ineffective in pushing for evacuations. Crist also linked DeSantis to the deaths of more than 82,000 Floridians due to the COVID pandemic.

"Whether it comes to COVID or it comes to the hurricane, Ron ignored science," said Crist.

DeSantis argued that those decisions were in the hands of county governments, not state or federal governments and stood by those decisions when it came to the evacuations. "Our message was, 'Listen to your locals,'" explained DeSantis.

Another topic covered was abortion rights and the misinformation touted by DeSantis. Crist was eager to cover the subject, just as other Democrats across the country used it in their platforms. He pointed out that DeSantis had signed a 15-week abortion ban with no exceptions for rape and incest. Crist said the election was a stark contrast between somebody who believes in a woman's right to choose."

DeSantis countered by saying that Crist supported abortion "up until the moment of birth," a false claim commonly used by Republicans. This doesn't exist, even in states where there are no gestational limits on abortion.

Education and cultural issues, such as critical race theory and gender-affirming care for transgender children, were also hot topics in the debate. DeSantis stood behind his position that doctors were "mutilating" children by providing gender-affirming care and that politicians like Crist wanted white students to hate themselves and their history.

Crist countered those statements by returning to his previous points about abortion rights. He stated that "you think you know better than any physician or any doctor or any woman in a position to make decisions about their own personal health."

"You deserve a better governor who cares about freedom and your right to choose," Crist said.

Recent polls from Mason-Dixon and Florida Atlantic University show DeSantis with an 11-point edge on Crist.

Charlie crist Florida