California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has released a new advertisement for Campaign for Democracy. Although Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has not responded to recent comments from Newsom, the California Governor continues to direct choice words at DeSantis. In a new advertisement referencing the New College of Florida, Newsom chides DeSantis, accusing him of an authoritarian takeover of education.
Newsom spoke at the Betty Johnson North Sarasota Public Library earlier this month, addressing DeSantis’ decision to appoint 6 conservatives to the New College board of trustees.
The new advertisement elaborates on Newsom’s concern, warning that “these functionally authoritarian leaders” are “passing bills like don’t say gay, threatening classroom instruction, criminalizing teachers, criminalizing librarians, banning books, banning speech, coming to colleges like this, and taking over the universities.”
Last week, I went to New College in Florida -- ground zero for what the @GOP are trying to do to education in this country.
Take a moment to watch this.
Books are banned. Speech is limited. Faculty are scared. Students are bullied.
This is just a small dose of what's to come. pic.twitter.com/UZjlm5XIsk
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 12, 2023
Newsom championed the New College of Florida as an institution “that has historically practiced academic freedom, focused on self-directed education, critical thinking.”
However, he believes that institutions like the New College of Florida are now under threat from DeSantis, being “completely torn asunder with a direct assault with the firing of its president.”
“The DeSantis administration has been pretty honest about what they intend to do. To use this college as a proxy to take over institutions of higher learning,” Newsom warned.
He then calls DeSantis “a bully,” who “bullies vulnerable communities, tries to humiliate people, talking down to people, talking past people because they love different.”
For Newsom, DeSantis’ actions are “weakness masquerading as strength” as he has shared in recent weeks.
Newsom has not announced his intention to run for the White House in 2024, but political pundits argue that it could be fast approaching. He has embarked on a tour across red states to discuss the danger to democracy that Republicans pose while DeSantis has been journeying to blue states to tout Florida's accomplishments under his administration.
