Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom Agree to Televised Debate

(L) California Gov. Gavin Newsom and (R) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Getty Images

State political heavyweights Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom will meet on the debate stage later this year.

Coined the “The Red State versus Blue State Debate,” the 90-minute event will take place in Georgia on Nov. 30.

Fox News’s Sean Hannity will be the moderator, and it'll air live during his nightly news program “Hannity” at 9 p.m. EST. The exact location in Georgia is still to be determined.

“I’m looking forward to providing viewers with an informative debate about the everyday issues and governing philosophies that impact the lives of every American,” Mr. Hannity said in a Fox News statement.

He first pitched the idea to Mr. Newsom in June, and Mr. DeSantis signed on in July.

This debate will be an aside from the ongoing Republican presidential debates, the second of which is scheduled for Sept. 27.

Currently, Mr. Newsom isn’t officially vying to take the Democrat Party’s nomination away from President Joe Biden.

However, the political divide between the governorships of The Sunshine State and The Golden State has been raised continually in the media as the two defining visions for the nation’s future.

Debate, ‘Not a Circus’

Mr. DeSantis has also referenced it constantly on his campaign trail.

“We’ve agreed to the debate—provided there is no cheering section, no hype videos, or any of the other crutches DeSantis requested,“ Mr. Newsom’s spokesperson said, according to ABC. ”We want a real debate—not a circus.”

“Decline is a choice, and success is attainable. As president, I will lead America’s revival,” Mr. DeSantis said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I look forward to the opportunity to debate Gavin Newsom over our very different visions for the future of our country.”

Mr. Newsom and Mr. DeSantis have been seen as making opposite decisions on issues throughout their tenures.

“The contrast of California’s failures to Florida’s success demonstrates that Ron DeSantis is right: Decline is merely a choice,” Andrew Romeo, communications director for Mr. DeSantis’s campaign, said on X.

“Ron DeSantis rejects that choice and, as president, will reverse America’s decline. Whether Newsom or Biden is the Democrat nominee in ‘24, they both offer the same failed and dangerous ideology for America that helped get us in this mess.

“We look forward to putting Ron DeSantis’s record of success up against it.”

Record of Success

During the COVID-19 pandemic, California remained shuttered while Florida reopened. California legislators approved a bill that would make it legal to take children away from parents who don’t support gender transitions.

On Sept. 22, Mr. Newsom vetoed the legislation, saying that while he supported its intent, the bill improperly empowered the legislative and executive branches at the expense of the judiciary.

By contrast, Florida has reinforced parents’ rights, banned gender ideology in schools, and banned gender reassignment surgery for minors. California even enforced a travel ban that prohibited its state agency employees from going on government-funded trips to states deemed to have “anti-LGBT laws.”

The two states also differ drastically in terms of energy commitments.

“We continue to lead as it relates to efforts to completely transition to 100 percent, zero-emission vehicles,” Mr. Newsom said at the U.N. Climate Ambition Summit in New York on Sept. 20. “We will continue to advance [such] ambitious goals, and advance our low-carbon, green growth future.”

He reaffirmed that his state would continue to push to achieve zero emissions by 2045. Meanwhile, Mr. DeSantis is looking to revitalize U.S. oil and natural gas production to achieve “energy dominance.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a combination of increasingly leftist policies and an increasing cost of living has driven an exodus out of California.

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, looks on at a press conference in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 14, 2023. Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom/YouTube Screenshot via The Epoch Times

According to the California Department of Finance, the state’s population fell below 39 million residents for the first time since 2015, dropping by 0.4 percent between January 2022 and January 2023.

“Over the last four years, we’ve witnessed a great American exodus from states governed by leftist politicians imposing leftist ideologies and delivering poor results,” Mr. DeSantis said in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California in May.

“And you can see massive gains in states like Florida, who are governing according to the tried-and-true principles that President Reagan held dear.”