While the debate between Governors Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Gavin Newsom (D-CA) covered numerous topics, one of the most memorable moments was when DeSantis mocked Newsom for the number of people, including his in-laws, leaving his state.
Ron DeSantis shreds Gavin Newsom's policies that have led to a mass exodus in California. Newsom has no response. pic.twitter.com/mwZrqKNPWp
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) December 1, 2023
“California has more natural advantages than any state in the country,” DeSantis said. “You almost have to try to mess California up. And yet that’s what Gavin Newsom has done since he’s been governor. He’s the first governor to ever lose population. They actually at one point, ran out of U-Hauls in the state of California.”
According to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), the population in the state decreased by 398,795 from 2020-2021 and by 113,649 from 2021-2022.
Florida, on the other hand, was the fastest-growing state in the nation in 2022 according to the US Census Bureau. From 2020-2021 Florida’s population grew by 238,467 and then by 416,754 from 2021-2022.
During the debate, DeSantis blamed Newsom’s “draconian COVID-19 measures” along with other policies enacted by California’s governor.
“The numbers speak for themselves. We have way more people moving into this state than leaving. Gavin can’t say the opposite. More people are leaving California that are moving in,” DeSantis said.
While the two governors went after each other most of the night, Newsom had no real answer about why so many people were leaving his state while so many people were moving to Florida. DeSantis even used a humorous personal anecdote to hammer his point home.
“So, I was talking to a fella who had made the move from California to Florida, and he was telling me that Florida is much better governed, safer, better budget, lower taxes, all this stuff, and he’s really happy with the quality of life,” DeSantis recounted.
“And then he paused, and he said, ‘You know, by the way, I’m Gavin Newsom’s father-in-law,’” DeSantis concluded, highlighting the fact that Nesom’s in-laws, Kenneth Siebel Jr. and Judith Siebel, recently purchased a $3.3 million home in Naples, FL.
With people from all classes and stages of life exiting the state, the PPIC conclusion was that “The picture painted by these trends illustrates the frustrations and economic challenges faced by many Californians.”
The article continues, “The state’s high cost of living, driven primarily by comparatively high housing costs, remains an ongoing public policy challenge…Moreover, if these interstate migration patterns continue, California could experience sustained population losses for years to come.”
