Takeaways From the 'Great Red vs. Blue State Debate'

Florida governor was feistier against Democrat than he has been in Republican debates
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 1, 2023 8:43 AM CST
Takeaways From the DeSantis-Newsom Debate
In this combination of photos, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks on Sept. 16, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa, at left, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, speaks on Sept. 12, 2023, in Sacramento, Calif.   (AP Photo)

Two governors clashed Thursday night in what Fox News billed as "The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate." Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom debated for 90 minutes in an empty studio in Georgia. Both governors hurled insults at each other in the debate, which was moderated by Fox's Sean Hannity. Some takeaways:

  • DeSantis was "far feistier' than in GOP debates. The Florida governor put in a "far feistier" performance here than he did in multiple debates with his rivals for the GOP nomination, Jonathan Weisman writes at the New York Times. With help from Hannity, he kept Newsom "on his heels for most of the night," hitting the Democrat "on subject after subject: crime, immigration, taxes, education," Weisman writes.

  • Newsom was happy to be Biden defender. Newsom, who told Hannity he would not run for president under any circumstances, "served essentially as a stand-in surrogate for the White House and its policies," per ABC, praising President Biden's economic policies and defending the administration on issues including border security. On the subject of the president's age, he said, "I will take Joe Biden at 100 versus Ron DeSantis any day of the week at any age." "I focused on defending and promoting, supporting, telling the truth about the Biden record," Newsom said after the debate. "I was pleased to have that opportunity."
  • Hannity was far from neutral. The debate "felt at times like a two-on-one match-up," according to the Hill, with the Fox host lobbing softballs at DeSantis and asking Newsom far more pointed questions. Hannity "trotted out a series of well-prepared graphics to show Florida in the best possible light, and California in the worst," per the Times.
  • Newsom got some zingers in. The California governor landed some blows "clearly designed to damage DeSantis in front of an audience of likely Republican presidential primary voters," per CNN. He accused DeSantis of shifting policies on issues like immigration and caving to the far right on COVID policies. He mocked DeSantis for being 41 points behind former President Trump in his own state. "We have one thing in common: Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024," he told DeSantis. At the end of the debate, he asked, "When are you going to drop out and give Nikki Haley a chance to take on Donald Trump?"

  • A possible campaign boost. Liz Peek at Fox News says DeSantis "absolutely destroyed" Newsom and may have helped his struggling campaign. The debate "should help stabilize his campaign, not only because he came prepared and outperformed expectations, but also because the audience was reminded that he has governed Florida well," she writes.
  • "Unhinged male rage." The closest thing to a winner was "unhinged male rage," Emily Hoeven writes at the San Francisco Chronicle, noting that the debate "frequently devolved into incomprehensible yelling matches." The two governors "spent much of the evening accusing each other of lying and making up facts—about COVID death rates, about the number of people moving into and out of their respective states, about tax burdens, about education scores, about violent crime rates, about abortion policies," she writes. "Rather than swaying anyone, the debate likely just sowed further distrust among already polarized viewers."
(More debate stories.)

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