(CN) - On a breezeless Florida afternoon, just days before the midterm elections, thousands of men and women wearing red "Make America Great Again" hats and American flag memorabilia gathered outside an arena near Ft. Myers.
The event was organized to promote the Republican candidates running for office, most notably former congressman Ron DeSantis, who is running for governor, and U.S. Senate challenger Gov. Rick Scott. But the roughly 8,000 attendees really only came to see one man: President Donald Trump.
One of those potential voters, standing in the hot sun awaiting entry to the event, was palpably excited about the opportunity to see the president. He even wore a homemade hat festooned with fake Cheetos, a nod to a derisive term used by the some Trump opponents.
Mike Gilfedder, a 55-year-old from Ft. Myers, said immigration reform and the country's debt are the issues personal to him.
When asked why he supports DeSantis for governor, Gilfedder said simply, "Trump supports DeSantis and DeSantis supports Trump."
"The key for me is supporting Trump," he added. "DeSantis is not as important to me. It is less what DeSantis can do in the state of Florida than what Trump can do for the state of this country."
In the swingiest of swing states, issues critical to the state are taking a backseat to national politics.
And out of all the state's races, the gubernatorial race is a microcosm of the midterm election season with record-breaking fundraising, massive voter turnout and the looming presence of Trump.
Many times, the candidates themselves mirror the divisive, and sometimes vicious, nature of the electorate.
Florida's gubernatorial race catapulted to national importance once the polls closed in the August primary.
DeSantis, a former three-term congressman, won an upset in the Republican primary, pivoting off an endorsement by Trump earlier in the year and beating Adam Putnam, the state's well-known, highly-funded agricultural commissioner.
Andrew Gillum, who became mayor of Tallahassee in 2014, surprised many pollsters and political writers by leaping over four other well-funded candidates, including former Rep. Gwen Graham, daughter of popular former Gov. Bob Graham. He enjoyed an endorsement of Bernie Sanders early on. He could make history by becoming the state's first black governor.
The differences between the two candidates could not be starker.
DeSantis, a product of the Tea Party movement, repeatedly voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act and rails against illegal immigration. Gillum has backed Medicare-for-all and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The two debates between the candidates have been all-out, verbal fisticuffs.
Gillum has attacked DeSantis for lacking a clear vision for the state, especially on healthcare issues, and being a "Trump yes-man."
DeSantis has countered by tying Gillum to some of the more controversial statements of the activist group Dream Defenders, and reminding voters of an FBI investigation surrounding Tallahassee city hall. (Gillum maintains he is not the focus of the investigation.)
And then there are the charges of racism.
In an interview on Fox News the day after the primary, DeSantis said Floridians shouldn’t “monkey this up” by electing Gillum. Neo-nazi groups have also made numerous robocalls throughout the state attacking Gillum. (DeSantis has strongly condemned the calls and defended his earlier statement as innocuous.)