Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democrat Congresswoman Val Demings exchanged jabs during the Florida Senate debate as election day gets closer.

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The word “liar” was tossed out a few times, along with plenty of other tough language as Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Val Demings, met on the debate stage in a heated matchup Tuesday night on the campus of Palm Beach State College.

Demings often was on the offensive as she tries to unseat a two-term incumbent and shake up a race where polls show her lagging, in a state that increasingly has trended red. A practiced debater, Rubio deflected on some hot-button issues, such as abortion, and tried to ignore others as he sought to avoid major missteps in the home stretch.

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