Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democrat Rep. Val Demings faced off Tuesday at Palm Beach State College's Lake Worth campus in Florida for their only debate and with the election three weeks away.

The two candidates clashed over hotly contested topics throughout the hour-long debate, ranging from abortion rights, gun legislation, and climate change to Hurricane Ian and foreign relations.

To little surprise, Demings, a three-term congresswoman and former Orlando police chief, went on the attack against the incumbent. Rubio, who is seeking his third term, leads in most polls.

One notable exchange between the candidates involved gun legislation. The issue continues to draw national attention after the mass school shooting in May in Uvalde, Texas, and after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018 in Parkland, Florida.

Rubio has favored stricter gun legislation after the Parkland shooting. During the debate, he claimed that a provision in Congress's recent bipartisan gun law would allow "your co-worker who has a grudge against you" to "go to a judge and take away your guns."

Demings dismissed Rubio's stance as a betrayal to the families of Florida mass shooting victims.

"How long will you watch people being gunned down in first grade, fourth grade, high school, college, church, synagogue, the grocery store, a movie theater, a mall and a nightclub, and do nothing?" Demings said.

Demings is considered a rising star for Democrats, having served as an impeachment manager during the 2020 impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump and for gaining attention in the summer of 2020 as a potential running mate for President Joe Biden.

In the debate, Rubio leaned on his experience and his role as the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee. Foreign policy has been a key issue in 2022, as the U.S. faces increased tension with China and Russia.

Another hot-button issue in Florida is property insurance. Demings accused Rubio of inaction when he served as a member of the state House. She noted that she called for a special session to address the issue in October to forestall a possible meltdown after Hurricane Ian's destruction.

Demings accused Rubio of dishonesty and attacked his comments about her abortion stance.

"I think there was a time when you did not lie in order to win," Demings told Rubio. "I don't know what happened."

Rubio said that Demings was "the extremist on abortion in this campaign." He claimed that "she supports no restrictions, no limitations of any kind," and that "she supports taxpayer-funded abortion … up until the moment of birth."

Demings responded: "How gullible do you think Florida voters are?" She then claimed that Rubio was against abortion without any exceptions, which Rubio denied.