DeSantis, Newsom debate culture war issues on Fox News
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
People watched last night's debate at a watch party in San Francisco. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Gov. Ron DeSantis faced off against California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a culture war sparring match hosted by Fox News' Sean Hannity, who sometimes seemed more like a combatant than a referee.
Why it matters: Billed as a red state vs. blue state showdown, the debate offered DeSantis the opportunity — despite his faltering poll numbers in the GOP presidential primary — to battle one-on-one with an opponent who has embraced the role of stand-in for President Biden.
Zoom in: Hannity asked questions aimed less at specific policies championed by either governor than hot-button social issues and data concerning state-to-state migration, the COVID-19 pandemic and crime.
- The Fox host cited figures showing California's population shrinking as Florida's grows. Newsom countered by arguing more Floridians are moving to California than the other way around. Politifact found that, per capita, he's right.
- Hannity also relied on data from the FBI's national collection as evidence of California suffering more from violent crime. But Florida's participation rate in the program is among the lowest of any state in the country.
DeSantis pushed back on Newsom's suggestion that Florida shut down during the pandemic, maintaining he didn't close beaches in the state and kept Walt Disney World open.
- Disney's resort in Orlando did, however, temporarily shut down in 2020. DeSantis, meanwhile, advised Floridians to follow beach closures set by local officials and, on March 20, 2020, issued an order closing all beaches in two South Florida counties.
- The Republican governor also falsely claimed Florida had a "lower standardized COVID death rate than California did."
What they're saying: "In Florida, we show that conservative principles work," DeSantis said in his opening statement. "This country must choose freedom over failure."
- Newsom said DeSantis is "trying to out-Trump Trump" with attention-seeking "political games," such as his flights of migrants to Martha's Vineyard and Sacramento.
- "How's that going for you, Ron? …You're down 41 points in your own home state."
Between the lines: DeSantis' decision to debate Newsom is unusual — but not surprising.
- The two governors have had a yearslong feud, routinely hitting each other in advertisements and trading barbs on social media.
- "The debate is taking place on Fox, a major news source for a disproportionately high percentage of Republican primary voters," Mac Stipanovich, a Tallahassee consultant and former Republican operative, told Axios. "California is the Mecca of woke that those voters love to hate, the living manifestation of which is Newsom."