With two weeks to go until the general election and early voting already started, Gov. Charlie Crist and U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek went on the attack against Republican front-runner Marco Rubio -- and each other -- in a widely televised debate Tuesday night at Nova Southeastern University in Davie.

Every poll shows Rubio leading partyless Crist by double digits, with Democratic nominee Meek trailing both.

Sponsored by the Florida Press Association and Leadership Florida, the debate was moderated by Antonio Mora of WFOR. The candidates took questions from William March of the Tampa Tribune, Myriam Marquez of the Miami Herald and Michael Williams of WFOR.

National fiscal issues dominated the start of the debate. The three candidates sparred over the federal stimulus that President Barack Obama supported. Meek and Crist backed the stimulus, Rubio criticized it.

The debate turned to other federal fiscal issues, including taxes and Social Security.

Asked if the federal government should raise taxes or cut benefits, the governor said that was a false choice.

“Now is the time to cut taxes,” insisted Crist, who vowed to keep Social Security intact. Crist jabbed at Rubio, arguing that the Republican wanted to “tinker” with the program.

Meek praised the new health-care law backed by Obama, adding that Crist and Rubio wanted to repeal it. He insisted that the law would help cut the deficit in the long run.

“Expanding the middle class in Florida will help the Social Security trust fund,” said Meek. “If somebody wants to cut Social Security, they will have to go through me.”

Rubio said the governor is trying to scare seniors by telling them that he wants to cut Social Security. He noted that his own mother depends on it and his proposed reforms would not impact current beneficiaries. Noting that Social Security would run out by 2037, Rubio said that younger Americans need different options to keep the program solvent. The Republican took aim at the budget backed by the Obama administration and congressional Democrats, insisting it will double the national debt in a short period.

Crist attempted to claim the middle ground, blasting Rubio and the Republicans as “hard right,” while taking aim at Obama and the Democrats for passing the health-care law.

Rubio attacked the health-care law, arguing that it is taking away from Medicaid and it is increasing costs. The Republican called for health-care reform by implementing free-market solutions, including allowing Americans to purchase insurance from companies out-of-state. 

“Obamacare was off the charts, it’s wrong,” insisted Crist, who pointed to his Cover Florida plan -- even though only 6,200 Floridians signed up for it. The governor said that his program lowered costs and increased coverage.