Republican Ron DeSantis has finally agreed to debate his California Democratic rival in the presidential race, California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In a video DeSantis posted online Wednesday of his appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, the Florida governor accepted Newsom’s offer to square off in a public forum.
“The debate between California and Florida, you know, has already been had as you suggest,” DeSantis told Hannity. “People have been voting on that—voting on it with their feet. They have fled California in record numbers. Florida has been the No. 1 state for in-migration. We have the No. 1 ranked economy.”
DeSantis’ response comes almost two months after Newsom told Hannity that he would jump at the chance to debate the Florida governor with Hannity moderating.
The debate between California and Florida is already over. People have been voting with their feet for years.
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 3, 2023
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
“You would do a two-hour debate with Ron DeSantis?” Hannity asked Newsom during the interview.
“Make it three,” Newsom responded. “I would do it with one day’s notice with no notes. I look forward to that.”
DeSantis recently took aim at liberal policies while filming a video in San Francisco, where Newsom served as mayor before climbing the ranks to state governorship.
“These policies have caused people to flee this area,” he said. “They don’t prosecute criminals like they do in most parts of the country, and the wreckage has been really sad to see.”
The video came just days after Newsom called DeSantis “a “small, pathetic man” on Twitter for his role in sending 16 South American migrants to Sacramento.