At one point, Newsom jabbed DeSantis, saying that neither one of them is going to be a presidential nominee, while DeSantis said that Newsom is running a “shadow campaign” for president but just won’t admit it.
Newsom played the role of loyal Democrat. Throughout the debate, he repeatedly praised the Biden-Harris administration, and in a fundraising email Thursday, the governor said he agreed to the debate “because I want to tell Fox News viewers something they’ve never heard before…. The truth about Joe Biden’s record.”
But more of the debate focused on the respective records of the two governors than the president’s. They tussled over taxes, COVID shutdowns, immigration, schools, abortion, homelessness, crime and more.
Though DeSantis praised California for having “more natural advantages” than other states, he repeatedly emphasized how people were leaving the state “in droves” due to Newsom’s failures — and argued that Biden would bring those problems nationwide.
Newsom, meanwhile, pointed out that for all of DeSantis’ praise for individual freedom, the governor is tightening restrictions on abortion, supporting school book bans and attempting to rein in Disney over its pushback against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Amid all the bickering and moderator Sean Hannity urging them not to interrupt one another, Newsom said he’s used to attacks from political foes: “Again, Ron. Relax. I can handle it, I’m used to bullying. You’re nothing but a bully.” To which DeSantis replied, “You’re a bully.”
And now the two sides are arguing about whether they broke the debate rules, Politico reports.
For more on what happened at the debate (including the “poop map”), read Alexei’s story. And for more details on the issues that came up, check out our breakdown.
