Will Trump bring Sen. Rubio down in Florida?

(AP) — There are two words that keep coming up in Florida's U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Marco Rubio and Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy:

There are stark differences between the candidates on guns, health care, foreign policy, economic issues and abortion, and presidential politics injects another major issue into the Senate race, as each campaign hopes to use voter dissatisfaction with the top of the ticket to hurt the opposition.

Murphy, 33, even loaned his campaign $1 million late in the race for television ads, money that was needed after Washington groups pulled money it help Murphy, moves that upset Florida Democrats who saw Murphy closing the gap with Rubio.

"Marco Rubio said this was a dangerous con artist who spent a lifetime — spent a career — sticking it to working people," Obama said at an October rally in Miami.

Despite Rubio's name recognition and money advantage, Murphy has remained close in recent polls, a sign that Rubio has lost his shine with Florida voters after the bitter presidential race and attacks that he ignored his job as senator to pursue higher ambitions.

[...] while he worked for an accounting firm in Florida, he wasn't a licensed CPA in the state, and his environmental cleanup business was set up by his wealthy father.

Like Murphy, but to a lesser degree, Rubio has infused presidential politics into his campaign, pointing out that Murphy unequivocally supports Clinton.

While Murphy is sharing stages with Clinton and Obama, Rubio is distancing himself for Trump, who often called Rubio "Little Marco" during the presidential campaign.

Rubio doesn't campaign with Trump, continues to denounce his words and at an October state GOP dinner, he didn't mention Trump once in a half-hour speech even though he spoke after Trump running mate Mike Pence.