California Governor Newsom is Running Ads in Florida: ‘Join Us In California’

Gavin Newsom's Ron DeSantis Attack Ad
Gavin Newsom's Ron DeSantis Attack Ad - Sputnik International, 1920, 04.07.2022
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In what some are speculating as an attempt to get ahead of the 2024 presidential race, California Governor Gavin Newsom has launched an ad targeting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his controversial rightwing policies. Both are up for reelection this year, but what does Newsom hope to achieve in targeting DeSantis?
“It’s Independence Day. So let’s talk about what’s going on in America. Freedom is under attack in your state. Republican leaders, they’re banning books— making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors. I urge all of you living in Florida to join the fight, or join us in California, where we still believe in freedom,” says Newsom in his attack ad.
“Freedom of speech. Freedom to choose. Freedom from hate. And the freedom to love. Don’t let them take your freedom,” says Newsom, firmly pointing at the camera.
Newsom has gained ground across the country as a potential pick for the Democratic party’s presidential nominee in 2024. President Joe Biden’s polls are falling fast (58% of Americans disapprove of the president, according to Reuters) and his age (79 years old) makes him the oldest sitting president ever, with his predecessor former President Donald Trump taking second place in that category.
Vice President Kamala Harris is also falling behind in her approval ratings, with 52% of Americans disapproving of the first female, Black, and South Asian American vice president, according to data from June 28. Harris’ favorability among Americans is actually less than former Vice President Mike Pence’s ratings during the same period of time in office.
 In this Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 file photo, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the opening of a monoclonal antibody site in Pembroke Pines, Fla.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 14.04.2022
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Prior to the 30-second attack ad against DeSantis on Fox News, Newsom, 54, had said he has no interest in running for president. Back in May he plainly stated he had “sub-zero interest” in running for the 2024 presidential election during a San Francisco Chronicle interview.
It’s also possible that the $100,000 in political commercials Newsom has bought to run on Floridians’ television screens may just be another itch to scratch in criticizing the GOP and their policies. While facing a recall election in 2021, Newsom used the slogan “Don’t DeSantis My California” as a dig at DeSantis, whose own campaign slogan read, “Don’t Fauci My Florida,” referring to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the president.
Newsom had also backed new gun control legislation in the state of California, with the state now allowing victims of deadly shootings to prosecute gun manufacturers. That law was modeled after the Texas Heartbeat Act of 2021, which allows private citizens to sue doctors and women’s healthcare organizations. At the time of the bill’s passage, Newsom said it would expose the U.S. Supreme Court—and its conservative majority’s—hypocrisy or else “get them to reconsider the absurdity of their previous decision,” referring to the Texas Heartbeat Act.
California State Capitol building. - Sputnik International, 1920, 12.12.2021
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Some political analysts are adding that Newsom’s recall win has given him the confidence to consider running for the White House. His fresh voice may also give him better favorability numbers against better recognized opponents such as Biden. Newsom’s youth and critical take on conservative policies stand in sharp contrast to Biden and could make him a frontrunner amongst Democratic voters.
“Gavin Newsom had to know that this would signal that people would interpret or misinterpret his actions as presidential campaign ambitions,” said James Taylor, USF’s Political Science professor on Newsom’s political attack ad, which criticizes controversial Florida laws such as the Parental Rights in Education law, better known colloquially as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
“After the recall, Newsom got stronger, and I suggested off the bat that it strengthened his position to run for national office,” Taylor adds.
Larry Gerston, an NBC Bay Area Political Analyst, says Newsom is getting ahead of the game by targeting the strongest potential Republican candidates. DeSantis is trailing Trump in favorability polls amongst Republican voters, and former Vice President Pence appears unafraid to run against his former boss.
“Gavin Newsom has made it a point to extend his presence on national issues,” he said. “And position himself, so that if for some reason Biden doesn’t run, and if Harris falters, there is Newsom,” he said.
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