Gage Skidmore, Flickr
Florida Governor and 2024 Presidential Candidate Ron DeSantis agrees to debate California Governor Gavin Newsom later this year.
“Absolutely I’m game. Just tell me when and where” DeSantis told Hannity.
“Florida has been the number one state for net in-migration. We have the number one ranked economy, [we’re] number one now in education, crime rate at a 50-year low. But in another sense, this is the debate for the future of our country because you have people like Joe Biden. They would love to see the Californication of the United States,” DeSantis explained.
“We can’t see America decline anymore. We need to reverse American decline,” DeSantis said.
The two have yet to agree on a set of rules or a date but the two hour debate is expected to take place later this year.
Newsom suggested that there not be a live audience, while DeSantis would rather have an audience, where tickets would be distributed evenly between the two governors.
DeSantis proposed the debate should take place in either Georgia or Iowa, while Newsom suggested Georgia, Nevada or North Carolina.
DeSantis also provided a wider range of dates for the debate, either on Sept. 19, Oct. 17, Oct. 18 or Nov. 8, while Newsom only proposed dates in November. An aid to Newsom requested that Hannity serve as the sole moderator for a 90-minute forum.
And instead of opening remarks by each governor, DeSantis would provide a video lasting no longer than 120 seconds. Newsom’s team offered that each candidate would give opening remarks no longer than four minutes, ABC has reported.
Newsom’s team slammed DeSantis’ proposed rules
“What a joke,” Newsom spokesman Nathan Click said in a statement in response to the proposal that DeSantis’ team sent Fox News host Sean Hannity on Friday.
“Desantis’ counterproposal is littered with crutches to hide his insecurity and ineptitude — swapping opening statements with a hype video, cutting down the time he needs to be on stage, adding cheat notes and a cheering section,” Click said. “Ron should be able to stand on his own two feet. It’s no wonder Trump is kicking his ass.”
Hannity framed the event as a “policy-based debate” between the heads of a red state and a blue state, but DeSantis has said the debate will be far more than that.
DeSantis is currently polling in second place for the Republican nomination, according to most polls. There has been much speculation that Newsom could potentially challenge Biden for the nomination, or run if Biden is unable to, but no announcement has been made yet.
