It will be East Coast v. West Coast, Republican v. Democrat when Florida Gov Ron DeSantis debates California Gov. Gavin Newsom. DeSantis announced on Fox News’s “Hannity” that he accepted Newsom’s challenge to square off before voters.
When Sean Hannity asked how he responded to Newsom’s offer, the Florida governor said, “Absolutely, I’m game.”
DeSantis is currently polling in second place in the 2024 Republican presidential race, far behind former President Donald Trump. But he threw down the gauntlet to Newsom when he declared, “Just tell me when and where we’ll do it.”
The Republican said the debate between Florida and California has in fact been settled by residents. The far-left Golden State is seeing voters fleeing for greener pastures in record numbers.
So much so that California already lost a House seat for the first time in its history and may lose another. As for Florida, it is number one in the nation for internal migration.
As DeSantis declared, “We have the number one ranked economy, number one now in education, [and the] crime rate at a 50-year low.”
Ron DeSantis just agreed to participate in a two hour debate against Gavin Newsom. pic.twitter.com/s4rdSUDeb7
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 3, 2023
Pulling no punches, DeSantis said the debate is nothing less than a forum “for the future of the country.”
Despite the clear victory won by Florida, the candidate cautioned that there are many Democrats who wish for nothing more than the “Californication of the United States.” This, he warned, would lead to an accelerated decline for the nation.
That fall is not acceptable, DeSantis told Hannity. “We can’t see America decline anymore. We need to reverse American decline.”
The two governors have sparred in recent months, mostly on cultural issues such as DeSantis’ war on Disney’s targeting children with inappropriate themes. The contentious arguments also spilled into education issues and the Second Amendment.
Newsom even proclaimed that his oppressive state government is more friendly to personal liberties and business interests than Florida. The results of people moving out of California, however, dispute this claim.
In June, Hannity extended an offer to Newsom to debate the issues with the Florida governor.
DeSantis challenged the California governor to run for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination against incumbent President Joe Biden. Many in the party appear to lean towards replacing the 80-year-old president on next year’s ticket, though no such move has been made.
