California Gov. Gavin Newsom Targets Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Over Independence Day Ad as Political Rivalry Grows

Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis are not just avatars for their respective parties' futures, but also for the divergent realities that blue and red Americans live in: two people with opposite opinions looking at the same set of data and coming to dramatically different judgments.

They're both governors, rising stars, and potential presidential contenders, developing micro-ideological models in their sunny capitals.

Gavin Newsom Airs Anti-GOP ad in Florida

In ever-blue California, Newsom, the son of a state appellate judge, has refocused his career as a showy progressive hero on more subtle legislative initiatives. Meanwhile, in reddening Florida, there's DeSantis, the son of a Nielsen box salesman who publicly identifies with the anti-elitist, reactionary ideas that have devoured the GOP rather than his two Ivy League degrees.

Newsom is currently airing ads against DeSantis in Florida, claiming that they are not the first of the 2024 or 2028 presidential campaigns, to reclaim a feeling of group identity among Democrats to defeat Trumpism in the long run.

With a budget of $105,000 on Fox News, Newsom's new ad, which was first provided to CNN and is set to air on July 4, is a mashup of a classic campaign spot, a business investment pitch, and one of those California tourism commercials full of celebrities saying how much better it is there, wrapped in the existential terror that's gripping progressives these days, according to CNN.

Newsom then urges Floridians to "join the battle" against DeSantis, while also joking that Floridians are welcome to go to California. "Freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom from hate and the freedom to love. Don't let them take your freedom," the Californian governor said.

Newsom Is Suspected To Run for 2024 Presidential Election

However, according to data provided by the South Florida Business Journal, it is the Californians who are departing the Golden State in favor of Florida. Over 18,000 California residents moved to Florida in 2019 and another 17,000 did so in 2020.

DeSantis has previously voiced concern about California citizens relocating to Florida, citing the thousands of Californians who have gone to Texas in recent years and continue to vote Democratic, Fox News reported.

The Florida Agency of Education denied 54 math textbooks earlier this year - 41 percent of the 132 textbooks assessed by the department - from being used in the state's K-12 curriculum moving forward, citing prohibited concepts such as 'Critical Race Theory.'

Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis enacted legislation restricting absentee and mail voting, which many critics argue would disenfranchise voters. The state gained global news earlier this year for a contentious bill called the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which forbids classroom instruction regarding sexual orientation or gender identity in public schools from kindergarten through third grade.

In April, the Florida Legislature passed legislation prohibiting abortions beyond 15 weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest. It's unknown why Newsom is running cable TV advertising in a state 2,700 miles away, but many believe it's another hint that the governor is gearing up for a presidential bid shortly. As we have noted, Newsom's national posturing has risen considerably in the last month, to the point that supporters of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are keeping a watch on him, as per SFGATE.

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California, Florida