Florida citizens unhappy up with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis were urged to pack their flip-flops and go west in an advertisement released on Monday by California Gov. Gavin Newsom as part of a Golden State ground offensive.
In Florida, Newsom spent $105,000 on advertisements that started playing on Fox News, igniting speculation about a possible 2024 presidential bid, particularly if Joe Biden decides against running for re-election.
The commercials have raised the stakes in the nation’s most bitter gubernatorial contest.
Although DeSantis isn’t specifically mentioned in the 30-second ad, Newsom criticizes three of the Florida conservative’s most notable legislative achievements.
Standing in a beautifully groomed garden while wearing a white dress shirt, Newsom announces to the camera, It’s Independence Day. So let’s discuss what’s happening in America.
The advertisement then switches to a menacingly warped picture of DeSantis and former president Donald Trump. DeSantis himself might run for president in 2024.
Your state is experiencing attacks on freedom, said Newsom. Republican officials are outlawing literature. making voting more challenging. limiting student voice in the classroom. even making physicians and women criminals.
The governor of California was making reference to Florida’s ban on teaching critical race theory in schools, its ban on teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity to kindergarten through fourth-graders, and its ban on 15-week abortions.
Over a picture of a beautiful California beach, Newsom appeals to Floridians to support him in his fight against the GOP and perhaps think about relocating there.
The supporters of DeSantis didn’t take long to retaliate.
A filthy quartet of images depicting several Californian homeless encampments and a trash-covered beach were tweeted by Jeremy Redfern, a representative for the Florida Department of Health.
“Shouldn’t you be worried about California?,” he said.
Newsom’s attempted relocation effort was also made fun of during DeSantis’ reelection campaign.
Both men have denied rumors that they are running for president and are up for reelection as governors in November.
According to data released in May by the California Department of Finance, the state’s population decreased by 117,552 in 2021 after falling by a greater amount—182,083—in 2020. Florida’s population increased by 211,000 between July 2020 and July 2021, according to census statistics.
