Florida becomes epicenter of nation's polarizing politics

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is emerging as an epicenter of the nation's polarizing politics in the final days of the 2018 campaign.

In the closely contested campaign for governor, President Donald Trump and GOP nominee Ron DeSantis have used what has been called racially coded language to slam Democrat Andrew Gillum. The battles for the governor's mansion and a key U.S. Senate seat are playing out in communities still recovering from a killer hurricane and one of the nation's deadliest school shootings.

Virtually every hot-button cultural issue tearing at the nation — including guns, race and the environment — is unfolding in a deeply personal way here.