On Thursday, November 30th, Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis (R) and California governor Gavin Newsom (D) partook in a 90-minute debate on Fox News.
Both governors staunchly defended their opposing parties on topics such as taxes, immigration, schools, reproductive rights, homelessness, crime and more.
Newsom praised the successes of the Biden administration by highlighting the facts, something he said hadn’t happened on Fox News very often. He condemned DeSantis for supporting anti-gay and book-banning legislation in his state. He also pointed out the presidential hopeful’s lackluster poll numbers in his own state, suggesting he step down to let Nicki Haley represent his party.
DeSantis pointed out how many people have been fleeing California in recent years, attributing it to Newsom’s policies. He also questioned the accuracy of a lot of the data Newsom used to support his claims and accused him of running a “shadow campaign” for the Biden administration.
The debate got heated at one point with both Newsom and DeSantis calling each other “bullies”. DeSantis also accused Newsom of supporting the liberal elites instead of supporting blue-collar voters.
Debate Takeaway
Ultimately, the debate was comprised of Democratic vs. Republican philosophies. Both debaters are governors from large states with a lot of influence over national politics.
DeSantis used the platform to gain more followers for the upcoming election while Newsom used the opportunity to speak up for the alternative side on a primarily conservative news station. He may also be setting himself up for a political campaign in the future (how near, we can’t say just yet).
In the end, both men proved that tensions are still high in the political sphere.
