With his state and national poll numbers lagging behind former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary race, Fox News “Hannity” Show’s ‘DeSantis vs. Newsom: The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate” has presented Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with a huge opportunity to contrast his governing and America First ideology with that of arguably the nation’s most-progressive governor, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
According to Fox News, the focus of the debate will be on the major everyday issues pressing Americans, and host Sean Hannity will be touching on state-level issues such as,” the economy, the border, immigration, crime, and inflation.”
Presented without an audience, the governors will have an equal opportunity to respond
The contrast between how Florida and California have been governed over the past few years is nothing less than stark.
Expect fireworks between the two very opinionated men, especially when Gov. DeSantis brings up the mass exodus of Californians that are relocating to Florida and other states like Texas.
One contentious point or issue that will surely be addressed is the illegal immigration crisis along the U.S. border with Mexico and Canada.
Newsom has accused DeSantis of possibly breaking the law after he sent to planes full of illegal immigrants to Sacramento, California’s capitol.
"Now, who’s ultimately accountable and responsible? I mean, the buck should stop with Ron DeSantis and the games he’s playing," said Newsom, a Democrat. "But it’s the folks on the front lines that were doing the dirty work. And that’s ultimately what we have to determine, is where the culpability lands and resides."
"They’re human beings used as pawns for a guy's political advancement. That's pretty sad and pathetic," added Newsom.
The debate could also be seen as a political trojan horse of sorts for DeSantis.
If DeSantis his all his points, is able to pound his chest and counter Newsom’s responses and effectively outline his argument for why Florida is a far better place to live than California, DeSantis wins the day and could create more needed distance between him and former Ambassador Nikki Haley in the GOP presidential sweepstakes.
Haley has been surging over the past couple of weeks.
If DeSantis fails to hit the mark on any issue, and if he is caught flat-footed in anyway, it could be lights out for “America’s governor.”
The stakes behind this debate are that high.
The much-anticipated debate will take place Thursday in Alpharetta, Georgia at 9 pm.
Former President Trump will probably we watching.
