Florida governor Ron DeSantis has accepted California governor Gavin Newsom‘s challenge to debate.
The back-and-forth between the two governors began in June, when Fox News’ Sean Hannity asked Newsom if he would be willing to debate DeSantis.
“I’m all in. Count on it,” the California governor said.
“You would do a two-hour debate with Ron DeSantis?” Hannity replied.
“Make it three,” Newsom said.
On Wednesday evening, Hannity reiterated his proposal: “I floated the idea of a policy-based debate, you know, red vs. blue, red state vs. blue state, between Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.”
Moments later, DeSantis appeared on Hannity and agreed to debate the progressive governor.
“Absolutely. I’m game. Let’s get it done. Just tell me when and where. We will do it,” DeSantis told Hannity.
The debate between California and Florida is already over. People have been voting with their feet for years.
But the debate about the future of our country is one we need to have.
I'm game to talk about my plans to reverse the decline in this country anytime, anywhere, because… pic.twitter.com/BbUKix8s5E
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 3, 2023
“This is the debate for the future of our country. Because you have people like Joe Biden — they would love to see the Californi-cation of the United States … And I think if we go down that direction, that’s going to accelerate American decline,” DeSantis added.
“We can’t see America decline anymore,” he said.
Newsom’s spokesperson told NBC that the blue state governor had already proposed some dates for a debate in November.
“Governor Newsom has been challenging DeSantis to debate for months and sent him a formal debate offer last week. Nov. 8 or 10 — DeSantis should put up or shut up. Anything else is just games,” the spokesperson said.
The California governor is proposing a 90-minute debate aired live on Fox News and moderated by Hannity, according to NBC.
“This event will be marketed as a Red v. Blue debate that is focused on the impact of representation at the state level,” Newsom’s proposal said.
Both governors were first elected to lead their respective states in 2019 and have since clashed over issues including, abortion, education and immigration. Both governors are seen as up-and-coming leaders within their parties. While DeSantis is currently running for president, Newsom has said he does not plan to run this cycle, though speculation that he will join the race remains.
Newsom has repeatedly sought to antagonize DeSantis, including in July 2022 when he launched a new television ad as part of his reelection campaign that aired in Florida instead of the Golden State. The 30-second ad urged Floridians to “join us in California.”
“Freedom, it’s under attack in your state,” Newsom says over images of DeSantis and former president Donald Trump. “Republican leaders, they’re banning books, making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors.”
Two months earlier, Newsom unveiled a proposal for a series of tax incentives in an effort to “provide additional consideration for companies leaving states that have enacted restrictions on reproductive rights and anti-LGBTQ+ laws.” The proposal would update tax credits, employer grants and other business incentive programs, according to the New York Times.
The proposal was tied to both the impending overturn of Roe v. Wade and DeSantis’s feud with Disney over Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law.