WASHINGTON -- As President Trump took the stage at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Tuesday, a major Republican political player was not be there -- Gov. Rick Scott.
- Scott attending fundraiser during Trump Tampa rally
- Scott did appear alongside Trump at Tampa tech high school
- Polls: majority of Floridians approve Trump's job performance
The governor did join the president for a tour of a Tampa school earlier Tuesday, but is he staying away from the political rally for a strategic reason?
Florida's Senate race is now entering a new phase and some suspect the governor's absence could be a sign.
"I think my opponent considers Trump a liability and that's why he's not showing up with him at the political rally," Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida.
During the rally, the governor was raising cash for his U.S. Senate bid a county away. While some GOP candidates in red-leaning states have closely aligned themselves with the president, the opposite is playing out in the Sunshine state.
"This midterm election will be very much about Donald Trump because Donald Trump is such a big part of our politics right now," said Alex Conant, a Republican political strategist who served as a spokesman on Sen. Marco Rubio's presidential campaign.
The governor has not been shy about publicly disagreeing with the president on a number of key issues. However, experts like Conant say Gov. Scott will have to walk a delicate line come November.
"The president is the leader of the party. If they win, they are going to work with him. I don’t think running away from Donald Trump is a viable strategy," Conant said.
Recent polls in Florida show a majority of voters approve of the President's job performance. The margin is small -- but it's President Trump's best numbers since he took office, something administration officials are highlighting.
"We have an incredible record for people who actually come out and try to tie themselves to this president, because his successes are undeniable at this point," said Hogan Gidley, the deputy White House Press Secretary.
It's been over three months since the governor kicked off his Senate campaign, and since then he hasn't been seen with the president until Tuesday.
"I don't know how much they speak, I do know that the president did very well in Florida," Gidley said. "It's up to the politicians at the local level to decide whether they want to tether themselves to that or not," he said.